T20 World Cup 2022: India vs Pakistan set to be governed by rain; bowlers expected to rule

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India and Pakistan are all set to open their World Cup campaign against each other on October 23. The much-anticipated clash, however, will, in all probability, be governed by the rain gods, which in turn, will make toss an important aspect of the game. 

Heavy showers are predicted in Melbourne from October 20, with a 60 per cent chance of rain throughout. The weather is expected to remain the same throughout the next two days. There is no rain predicted during the match hours though. 

How Will Rain Affect The Match?

But, since the pitch and the ground will remain under-covers for three consecutive days, it is expected to gather a lot of moisture, which in turn will assist seam movement off the pitch. With the pitch-assisting seam movement, Shaheen Afridi from Pakistan and Shami from India, if he plays, will come into play a lot more, and it will come down to which team bowls better on the given day. 

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh too rely on Swing, and the fact that both these bowlers are more than capable of bowling tight lines and lengths, Pakistan's middle order, which has been a subject of worry, will come under the scanner. 

Also Read: Pakistan best New Zealand to win tri-series ahead of T20 World Cup 2022

There will be a lot of seam movement and bounce on offer, and the batters will have to go through a stern test. Whosoever bowls first, will have the added advantage of exploiting the moisture in the pitch first-up.

Melbourne Cricket Ground - The Numbers Game in T20Is

Basic Stats

• Unqualified matches: 18
• Matches won batting first: 7
• Matches won bowling first: 10

Average Stats

• Average 1st Inns scores: 139
• Average 2nd Inns scores: 127

Score Stats

• Highest total recorded: 184/4 by AUSW vs INDW
• Lowest total recorded: 74/10 by IND vs AUS
• Highest score chased: 172/5 by SL vs AUS
• Lowest score defended: 127/10 by AUS vs PAK