Three games, one result and that too in a game that could not be completed. Yeah, that has been the story of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 warm-up matches in Thiruvananthapuram. New Zealand prevailed by 7 runs over South Africa owing to the DLS method in the third game at the venue after the two games South Africa vs Afghanistan and Australia-Netherlands matches were washed out. The picture doesn't look too bright for Tuesday's match featuring Team India.
India's first practice match against England has already been washed out and if the weather forecast in Thiruvananthapuram is anything to go by, another washout isn't out of the picture. As per AccuWeather, there is a 97 per cent probability of precipitation on Tuesday, October 3 in the daytime with a 43 per cent chance of thunderstorms. The forecast gets just a smidge better as the day progresses but weirdly the chances of thunderstorms increase with cloud cover to remain throughout the day.
The temperatures are set to hover around a high of 30 degrees and a low of 25 degrees.
The only factor standing between a washout and a result is hope given the forecast was similar on Monday, October 2. And despite the rain playing a big part, at least a result came even if through the DLS method.
India will hope for some game time before they face the five-time champions Australia in their opening game of the campaign in Chennai on Sunday, October 8. The Dutch did get some match practice, even if only for a few overs given their warm-up match was reduced to a 23-overs-per-side contest but was still washed out as the rain returned later.
The Netherlands open their campaign against Pakistan in Hyderabad on Friday, October 6 in the main event.
