The world is about to find the next T20 champions as the T20 World Cup final is mere hours away. The match scheduled at the Melbourne Cricket Ground will have England and Pakistan fighting for their claim on the trophy. Despite fumbling in the Super 12, Pakistan ultimately reached the final beating New Zealand in the semi-finals. Whereas Jos Buttler and Co. dominated the match against India to extend their reach into the finals.
However, now that the thrill of the semi-finals has subsided, there’s a looming scare of rain in the finals. Rain has interfered with the marquee event all throughout its run in Australia. And while the semi-finals went smoothly, the rain is expected to make a return during the final at MCG. The current forecast predicts a 70% chance of rain at the venue on Sunday, November 13. And for Monday, which is the reserved day for the final, it only increases to 80%.
Amidst the very possible scenario of rain washing away the final, ICC has revised the rules regarding the play. The statement notes some tweaked rules that try to ensure a smooth conclusion of the final match. For those unversed, if rain washes away the game on Sunday as well as on Monday, England and Pakistan will share the T20 World Cup 2022 trophy.
ICC Specifies The Playing Conditions For the England Vs Pakistan T20 World Cup Final
ICC in its provision for the T20 World Cup final has issued additional time on the reserved day. “The Event Technical Committee (ETC) has increased the provision of additional playing time on the reserve day to four hours from the original provision of two hours (clause 13.7.3 of the Playing Conditions), in case more time is required to complete the match and get a result,” the statement read.
Moreover, the board further clarified the rules for the playing and reserved day. The statement specifies that a minimum of 10 overs game per side is needed to produce a result. “It may be noted that 10 overs per side are required to constitute a match in the knockout stage and every effort will be taken to complete the match on the scheduled match day, with any necessary reduction of overs taking place,” the statement specified.
“Only if the minimum number of overs necessary to constitute a match cannot be bowled on Sunday will the match go into the reserve day. Play on the reserve day will begin at 15h00 (9:30AM IST) and would be a continuation of play from the scheduled match day.”
If rain in Melbourne manages to hinder the game despite all the rules then the trophy will be shared between the two teams. As per ICC, the game will have a window of 30 minutes extension on Sunday. While the reserved day will have a 4 hours extension for the game to reach a result. In case of a draw in scores, there’s a provision for a super over to fetch the results and the champions of this season.
