Mohali : The rain gods can dampen spirits of tens of thousands of cricket fans and play spoilsport in the eagerly awaited World Cup semifinal between arch rivals India and Pakistan at PunjabCricket Association (PCA) Stadium here Wednesday. The weatherman predicted clouds to prevail in this region with a possibility of light rain by the evening.
"Partly cloudy sky will prevail over in Mohali region on Wednesday. Thunderstorms and dust-storms along with light rain, by the evening, could also prevail in various parts of this region on tomorrow.Similar conditions are prevailing in this region for the last 24-hours," a Met official here told IANSWednesday.
"However, it will be comparatively warm tomorrow. The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 30 to 33 degrees Celsius whereas the minimum temperature will be around 17 to 18 degrees Celsius Wednesday," he added.
Besides hopes of so many cricket fans, many other things are at stake in this match. All tickets have been sold out. Apart from Indian fans, around 200 Pakistani cricket lovers are also expected in the stadium.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur will also witness the match. On invitation of Manmohan Singh, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani also confirmed his presence for the marquee game.
If weather remains on the positive side, PCA pitch curators are expecting a good clash. "It is a good ODI wicket and would be batsman friendly. Though we are not expecting anything dramatic out of pitch but it would be very entertaining for the crowd. Around 280 runs would be a good score for the side batting first," Daljeet Singh, chief curator of PCA Stadium pitch said.
He added: "Pace bowlers would get some good movement and bounce out of the pitch. Spinners would also get help after 15 to 20 overs of play. Dew could be a problem but we have kept the grass low to tackleit. The outfield would be very fast."
"However, it will be comparatively warm tomorrow. The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 30 to 33 degrees Celsius whereas the minimum temperature will be around 17 to 18 degrees Celsius Wednesday," he added.
Besides hopes of so many cricket fans, many other things are at stake in this match. All tickets have been sold out. Apart from Indian fans, around 200 Pakistani cricket lovers are also expected in the stadium.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur will also witness the match. On invitation of Manmohan Singh, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani also confirmed his presence for the marquee game.
If weather remains on the positive side, PCA pitch curators are expecting a good clash. "It is a good ODI wicket and would be batsman friendly. Though we are not expecting anything dramatic out of pitch but it would be very entertaining for the crowd. Around 280 runs would be a good score for the side batting first," Daljeet Singh, chief curator of PCA Stadium pitch said.
He added: "Pace bowlers would get some good movement and bounce out of the pitch. Spinners would also get help after 15 to 20 overs of play. Dew could be a problem but we have kept the grass low to tackleit. The outfield would be very fast."
