Pakistan vs England, Melbourne weather forecast: Will rain, thunderstorms move T20 World Cup final to reserve day?

Pakistan vs England, Melbourne weather forecast: Babar Azam and his boys will hope for a repeat of the 1992 Cricket World Cup, when the Pakistan unit led by Imran Khan had defeated England in the final at the same venue.

Pakistan vs England, Melbourne weather forecast: The stage is set for the final of the T20 World Cup as Asian giants Pakistan take on England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday. Babar Azam and his boys will hope for a repeat of the 1992 Cricket World Cup, when the Pakistan unit led by Imran Khan had defeated England in the final at the same venue. (Pakistan vs England Live Score, T20 World Cup 2022)

Pakistan vs England, Melbourne weather forecast (AP)

Pakistan, who at one stage were on the brink of elimination from the tournament, is heading into the finale after thrashing New Zealand by seven wickets. Their opponents, on the other hand, mauled India by 10 wickets in the second semifinal.

While both teams have a star-studded line-up, one factor that can play a major role in deciding the outcome is the fickle Melbourne weather.

Pakistan vs England, T20 World Cup final: What does the weather forecast say?

As per the meteorology department, the weather forecast for Sunday doesn't look promising and rain is likely to interrupt the proceedings.

“Cloudy. Very high (near 100%) chance of showers. The chance of a thunderstorm, possibly severe. Winds east to northeasterly 15 to 20 km/h turning northerly 25 to 35 km/h during the morning then decreasing to 15 to 20 km/h in the evening,” read an update on the official website of the meteorology department.

In case the match fails to take place on Sunday, the action then moves to reserve day, which is on Monday. However, the forecast for the reserve day also remains dull.

“Cloudy. Very high (95%) chance of showers, most likely in the morning and afternoon. The chance of a thunderstorm. Winds northwesterly 15 to 25 km/h turning westerly 25 to 40 km/h during the morning then decreasing to 15 to 25 km/h during the afternoon,” the forecast for Monday read.

Pakistan vs England, T20 World Cup final: ICC on weather condition

Looking at the weather forecast of Melbourne, ICC has announced the playing time for the reserve day to be increased by two hours. "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 ICC said in a release.

"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. 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 1500h (9:30 AM IST) and would be a continuation of play from the scheduled match day," it further stated.

Pakistan vs England, T20 World Cup final: What happens if final gets washed out?

Both England and Pakistan have already won the T20 World Cup once, and they will be fighting for a second title in Melbourne. However, the grim forecast on both the days raises the prospect of joint winners. If this does happen, then it will be the first time the trophy will be shared by both finalists in the history of the tournament.