Will rain spoil India-Pakistan showdown? Blockbuster T20 World Cup clash faces new threat after PCB ends boycott drama

India and Pakistan are set for a blockbuster showdown in Colombo a couple of days from now, with the T20 World Cup meeting between the two arch-rivals finally taking place after a period of uncertainty. Pakistan had announced a boycott of the India game earlier this month after the Salman Ali Agha-led squad was allowed to travel to Sri Lanka for the tournament by their government.

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The Mohsin Naqvi-led Pakistan Cricket Board, however, later made a U-turn following an emergency meeting with the International Cricket Council in Lahore earlier this week, with the Shehbaz Sharif-led government allowing them to go ahead with the high-profile fixture.

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While the political drama between the PCB and the ICC – which erupted after Bangladesh were shown the door by the Dubai-based governing body – has come to an end, there are other factors that could potentially play spoilsport in Sunday’s fixture.

Will rain play spoilsport in Colombo on Sunday? 

The India-Pakistan fixture at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium, after all, faces the threat of rain on Sunday. It is raining in Colombo at present and Sri Lanka’s biggest city is also expected to receive substantial showers over the weekend.

“Cloudy with a couple of showers,” reads Sunday’s forecast for Colombo on Accuweather, which mentions a 93 per cent chance of rain. The forecast also predicts up to four hours of rainfall in the city.

The weather forecast on Google Gemini, meanwhile, predicts a 50 to 65 per cent chance of rain during the match hours on Sunday, meaning that players could be spending just as much time in their dressing room as they would on the field, if not more.

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While none of the matches that have taken place so far have been washed out, the matches taking place in Sri Lanka have received a lot more rainfall compared to the ones in India.

India and Pakistan have won both of their matches so far, with the Suryakumar Yadav-led Men in Blue returning to the top of the table after thrashing Namibia by 93 runs in Delhi on Thursday. And the winner of the upcoming clash should, in all likelihood, advance to the Super 8s.

Group A, however, will become a lot more interesting if the upcoming match is washed out, which will leave the two arch-rivals with five points each, allowing teams such as the Netherlands to catch up and try and stake claim to one of the top-two spots.