India's Axar Patel and Mohammed Siraj during a practice session in Bridgetown, Barbados.
Credit: PTI Photo
As India and South Africa are set to clash in the final of T20 ICC World Cup 2024, major weather forecasters including Accuweather and Barbados Meteorological Services predict the venue might witness rain on Saturday.
Both India and South Africa reached the finals unbeaten in the entire tournament— sparking much excitement in cricket lovers worldwide. The final will be played at the Kensington Oval in the largest and capital city of Barbados— Bridgetown. Given the natural seasonal cycle, the local meteorological department of Barbados is regularly issuing forecasts that show there is 70 per cent chances that the region might receive rains amid thunderstorm on D-day.
Barbados Meteorological Services has specifically issued the forecast for the T20 ICC World Cup that said, "Some minor water settlements are likely on roads and concrete surfaces around Kensington Oval. Showers and possible thunderstorms could result in some disruptions."
The latest forecast on June 29 at 3 51 pm said, "ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup Weather Forecast Sat 29 June 2024. Headline: Wet Finale to ICC T20 World Cup."
The average temperature in the island region around South America and the Carribean plates is currently between 29 to 32 degrees Celcius.
While India aims to battle for their first ICC trophy since 2013, South Africa has qualified for an ICC World Cup for the first time.
The Kensington Oval hosted eight matches of the T20 World Cup this time. Largely, the pitch is regarded as good for fast bowling than spin while many sports experts were quoted by media outlets as saying that the pitch serves well the team that chooses to bat first. As per a report in Sportstar, the surface has been good for batting. However, bowlers can get an advantage initially with the new ball as the game is scheduled for early morning (local time).
The Barbados pitch is said to be the third-fastest scoring ground in the tournament, with runs coming at 7.78 per over.
India are looking to win their first ICC trophy since 2013. They lost in the ODI World Cup final against Australia last year. South Africa have qualified for an ICC World Cup final for the first time. India topped the Super 8 Group 1 and defeated England by 68 runs in the second semi-final.
South Africa were Super 8 Group 2 table-toppers and defeated Afghanistan by nine wickets in the first semi-final.
The final match between the two teams is scheduled to start from 10 30 am local time. Accuweather forecast thunderstorms from 6 am to 8 am, with precipitation level expected to drop below 30 per cent after 9 am. The forecast also shows that precipitation might rise to 51 per cent by 1 pm, but with another round of thunderstorms.