New Zealand eye a place in the semifinals of the ongoing Cricket World Cup 2023 as they take on Sri Lanka in a crunch fixture at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The Blackcaps started the tournament with four wins on the trot, but a run of four straight defeats have put them in a precarious position in the points table. New Zealand are currently fourth in the points table, with Pakistan and Afghanistan breathing down their necks, hoping to seal the final semi-final spot. A big win for New Zealand against Sri Lanka, however, might just be enough for them, considering their superior net run-rate.
However, the weather forecast suggests there are high chances of rain at the venue in the morning and afternoon. As per Accuweather, the sky is likely to remain cloudy throughout the day, with intermittent thunderstorms.
Hourly Weather Update, M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru:
At 1pm: Temperature – 26 degree Celsius, rain probability – 49 percent
At 2pm: Temperature – 27 degree Celsius, rain probability – 49 percent
At 3pm: Temperature – 25 degree Celsius, rain probability – 57 percent
At 4pm: Temperature – 25 degree Celsius, rain probability – 49 percent
At 5pm: Temperature – 25 degree Celsius, rain probability – 49 percent
At 6pm: Temperature – 24 degree Celsius, rain probability – 66 percent
At 7pm: Temperature – 23 degree Celsius, rain probability – 40 percent
At 8pm: Temperature – 22 degree Celsius, rain probability – 34 percent
At 9pm: Temperature – 21 degree Celsius, rain probability – 39 percent
At 10pm: Temperature – 21 degree Celsius, rain probability – 49 percent
At 11pm: Temperature – 21 degree Celsius, rain probability – 75 percent
There is a high chance that rain might wash out the entire match. In that case, both team will get a point each, meaning that New Zealand will finish with 9 points.
The result will put Pakistan in a strong position ahead of their final match of the group stage against England in Saturday. Pakistan would need a win to overtake New Zealand in the points table.
Afghanistan, on the other hand, head into their game against South Africa on Friday as second favourites. However, the ideal scenario for them would be that both Pakistan and New Zealand lose their respective matches.
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