If it was the pitch in New York, it's the inclement weather in Georgetown, Guyana that has dominated the build-up to what might potentially be a crackerjack of a semi-final in the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup between India and England. Two years ago, it was the same fixture at the same stage in the very same competition and every player and Indian fan would want to forget what happened then in Adelaide and now the Men in Blue have a chance to change that on a surface that might suit them. However, the overcast weather and the rain around in Georgetown, Guayan might affect the playing conditions but in-form India with the intent they have played with, definitely start as favourites.
The rain played hide and seek throughout the day on the eve of the clash. It rained heavily for a few hours in the morning before the weather being dry in the daytime. There was a shower in the evening yet again before the night was dry again. Currently, it shows partly cloudy for the early morning. But rain made its presence felt on the morning of the match with a brief heavy shower. It stopped quickly and sun made its way back into the sky.
As per Accuweather, there's every possibility that the start of the second semi-final between India and England might be delayed. The probability of precipitation is at around 52 per cent at 10 AM local time, which is half an hour before the start. The forecast says, 'mostly cloudy with showers'. The forecast stays the same at 11 AM with the rain probability rising up to 56 per cent. It does get better an hour later at 12 PM with the word 'showers' being removed and the rain probability reducing to 49 per cent.
For the next three hours till 3 PM local time (12:30 AM IST), the forecast says 'intermittent clouds' and partly sunny with the rain probability hovering around 20 per cent. There's a good chance that the majority of the game takes place between this window and maybe even gets done too.
The forecast has gotten better as the remaining hours till 7 PM local time, it shows intermittent clouds only with the rain probability being between 15-20 per cent. Hence, there's every chance of a full game being on the cards, at least what everyone would want, more so England.
The time extension means that the groundsmen will get some room to play even if the weather does get unplayable, which is unlikely though. The vacant window of a few hours provides the best chance for everyone to get as many overs done, even the full game after a likely delayed start.