The T20 World Cup looks set to suffer from the weather, with rain expected to interrupt blockbuster matches during the Super 12 stage of the tournament.
The sold-out battle between subcontinent rivals India and Pakistan takes place at the MCG on Sunday evening, but the weather forecast for Melbourne looks rather bleak.
The Bureau of Meteorology currently estimates an 80% chance of showers in the Victorian capital that day, most likely in the evening.
Around 100,000 tickets have been purchased for the highly anticipated match and hundreds of millions of people are expected to watch the 20-over match around the world.
The 2015 Cricket World Cup match in Australia attracted 229 million spectators worldwide, while this year's Asian Cup clash attracted 225 million pairs of eyes.
T20 World Cup spectators are entitled to a full refund if fewer than 10 overs are played, meaning tournament organizers could potentially have to pay $ 7 million in refunds, according to the report.
While no spare days have been organized for T20 World Cup group stage matches, the semi-finals and final will have spare slots if needed.
Earlier this year, the Bureau of Meteorology confirmed that the La Nina climate booster is back again for summer 2022/23 and its effects are already being felt across the country.
The flood affected places of New South Wales and Victoria could sadly be affected by over 100mm of rain over the next four days.
Meanwhile, the warm-up matches between India and New Zealand in Gabba and Bangladesh and South Africa at Allan Border Field have been canceled due to torrential rain.
Australia's T20 World Cup opener against New Zealand at the SCG on Saturday night, another sellout, is also in jeopardy. The Bureau of Meteorology currently estimates a 90% chance of rain that day, most likely in the afternoon and evening, with a forecast of between 10 and 25mm of rain and the possibility of thunderstorms.
Speaking to SCG reporters on Thursday afternoon, Australian coach Andrew McDonald said the team could experiment with their batting order if the game was cut short due to weather.
The impact of La Nina could help Australian bowlers keep up the pace over the next few weeks as cloud cover provides an ideal environment for swing bowling. Turbulence caused by hot air under sunlight is reduced and seamers have better control over the movement of the kookaburra.
Australia will face trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand on Saturday night on the SCG, with the first pitch scheduled for 6pm AEDT.
History is not on Australia's side as they advance to the tournament, no men's team has successfully defended an ODI or T20 World Cup at home, while no men's team has ever won the T20 World Cup as a host nation.
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