Nottingham: “Rain, rain go away, the World Cup must be played,” should be the new slogan of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, which faces the threat of some of its key matches being washed away due to the inclement English summer weather. A large number of Indian fans, who have arrived in Nottingham for the India-New Zealand match at Trent Bridge on Thursday coined this chant. Pakistan fans, following their team’s impressive win over England, are hoping for a full match against Australia at Taunton on Wednesday.
Rain played spoilsport in Bristol during the Pakistan-Sri Lanka match on Friday, with the game abandoned without a ball being bowled. On Monday, during the South Africa-West Indies match, only 7.3 overs could be bowled before the match was declared a no result.
Similarly, Tuesday’s clash between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Bristol came a cropper too as the precipitation put paid to any action taking place on the pitch.
The weather forecast for the Australia-Pakistan match at Taunton is a 50 per cent chance for rain by the time the game is scheduled to start at 10.30am local time (1.30pm UAE time) and conditions could worsen around lunchtime, but there is also a possibility that the sky might brighten up.
India fans, who are constantly keeping a watch on the weather forecast, were disappointed to read the Met office’s ‘Yellow warning” for rain. Fans, who were gearing up to apply layers of sunscreen and watch the action, will now be forced to wear rain jackets and stare at the waterproof covers that guard the pitches form rain.
To add to the disappointment of those fans coming from other parts of England to Nottingham, there has been warning stating “spells of heavy and persistent rain have the potential to bring flooding and disruption to transport in places”. Journalists reporting the rain-hit Bangladesh-Sri Lanka match mentioned that a few fans are playing ‘Rain’ by The Beatles that has the lyrics: “When the rain comes they run and hide their heads. They might as well be dead. When the rain comes, if the rain comes. When the sun shines they slip into the shade.”
The Met Office has explained the reason for the rain as a combination of factors for the week’s inclement weather. “The intense rainfall and thunderstorms for parts of southern and eastern England are being triggered by a combination of heat across parts of central Europe and a low-pressure system approaching the UK from the south.”
They went on to further explain: “As the low-pressure system moves closer, it will draw in warmer air from the continent. This combination of warmer, moist air and low pressure provides the ideal conditions for the rapid development of intense rain and thunderstorms.”
Fans are busy looking at the terms and conditions for rain-affected matches. Unfortunately, the ICC has scheduled a reserve day only for the semi-final and final matches if washed out by rain. If both the semi-final matches gets washed out, then the teams ranked higher in the league stage will go through to the final, and if the final is washed out the teams share the trophy.
Standings
T M W L A/NR P
New Zealand 3 3 0 0 6
England 3 2 1 0 4
India 2 2 0 0 4
Australia 3 2 1 0 4
Sri Lanka 4 1 1 2 4
West Indies 3 1 1 1 3
Bangladesh 4 1 2 1 3
Pakistan 3 1 1 1 3
South Africa 4 0 3 1 1
Afghanistan 3 0 3 0 0
