7 instances when rain changed the fate of matches in ICC tournaments

In the lead up to the World Cup 2019, a number of experts were of the view that hosts England and India were to start their campaign as the favorites.

Both teams have lived up to the expectations as they have posted big wins but with England recently losing to Sri Lanka, New Zealand now look hot favorites with an unbeaten campaign. Defending champions Australia have also impressed with their good show.

However, one factor which has outplayed not only these three teams but also the other teams in this World Cup is the rain. It is a well-known fact that the weather is unpredictable in England but to a number of matches getting abandoned has raised questions over the planning of the mega event.

A number of queries have also been raised questioning the facilities on the grounds as a major part of the turf has not been covered during rai, adding time delays to the rain-curtailed encounters. With rain playing spoilsport in this World Cup, here is a look at seven instances when rain changed the fate of ICC tournaments.

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#7 1992 World Cup - Rain helps Pakistan win the World Cup

Pakistan was fortunate to earn a point from the England game

Pakistan faced England on a rainy day in the league phase of the 1992 World Cup. England's decision to field first reaped huge dividends as Pakistan was bowled out for 74. England was on 17/1 in six overs when players went for the mid-innings break.

Rain came peltering down for the next three hours resulting in the reduction of overs. The tournament had adopted a new rule called the 'Most Productive Overs' rule. According to it, if the innings of the chasing side is reduced to 'n' overs due to interruption, then the target is revised as one run more than the highest scoring 'n' overs of the team batting first.

With a minimum of 15 overs being mandatory for the rule to be applied, the new target was 64 off 15 overs. However, only two overs were possible as both teams got a point each.

Pakistan qualified for knockouts by virtue of this fortunate solitary point and they went to beat England in the finals to lift the cup.

#6 2003 World Cup - A miscalculation in the Duckworth-Lewis method knocks South Africa out

Mark Boucher played a calculative knock under difficult circumstances

Hosts South Africa took on Sri Lanka in a must-win match in the 2003 World Cup. Batting first, Marvan Attapattu's century took SL's total to 268. Chasing a stiff target, SA got off to an impressive start. Yet, the Sri Lankan spinners kept taking wickets in the middle overs.

Mark Boucher and Shaun Pollock stitched together a 64-run partnership to bring SA within touching distance of the target. The match was taking place with a slight drizzle of rain for few overs which grew heavier when Pollock was run-out.

At the end of 44th over, Boucher got the message from the dressing room that the score should be 229 at the end of 45th over to win provided they don't lose any more wickets. Boucher smashed a six off the penultimate ball and started celebrating as the score read 229/6.

The celebration was short-lived as it then came to light that Boucher miscalculated by a run and now the scores were tied. The entire nation was in despair as Boucher's decision to just play out a dot in the final ball of Muralitharan's over knocked them out of the World Cup.

#5 2002 Champions Trophy - No result after playing 110 overs in a 50-over final

India and Sri Lanka were announced as joint winners

India and Sri Lanka faced off in the 2002 Champions Trophy final. Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first. Half-centuries' from Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara helped them post 244 on board. Chasing a modest total, India was on 14/0 in two overs when rain stopped play.

As the rain continued to pour in, the match had to be abandoned. The tournament had a reserve day in place, but the officials stated to start the final afresh. Owing to the complications in the D/L method, the International Cricket Council put in a new method which enables important matches to start from scratch.

On the reserve day, SL scored 222/7 in 50 overs. In the chase, India could bat for only 8.4 overs and score 38. The rain didn't relent after that as the final was abandoned once again and both teams were announced as joint-winners.

People criticized ICC's rules which didn't allow the match to continue from where they let off. It was bizarre to see no result to a 50-over match despite playing 110.4 overs.

#4 1992 WC - Rain defeats South Africa in the semi-finals

The bizarre rain rule changed the complexion of 1992 WC

After being banned for apartheid for 21 years, South Africa came back and did extremely well in the 1992 World Cup. They faced England in the semi-finals and put them in to bat first. England scored 252/6 in 45 overs and the innings was curtailed as South Africa took a long time to bowl.

Since the broadcaster had stipulated only a particular time, the innings couldn't be extended. South Africa had a steady start to the chase but lost wickets in the middle. Jonty Rhodes played a cameo to take shift the balance in his team's favor. With 47 off 30 balls needed being the equation, the rain made its first appearance.

The game was stopped with SA needing 22 off 13 balls. Despite having a reserve day in place, the broadcasters forced the match to be finished within the day. At the end of the rain break, the new equation was 21 off 1 ball which came as a shock to everyone.

England ended as the winners of the match and yet it was not the most convincing of wins.

#3 2013 Champions Trophy - A 20-over final for a 50-over tournament

Indians were better equipped to quickly adapt to a T20 game

The schedule for the 2013 Champions Trophy irked many teams as it was placed between a bilateral series involving England and New Zealand. Hence, it was a short tournament and there weren't any reserve days for the knockout games.

On the final day of the summit clash, it was pouring down at Edgbaston and it seemed that the match would be cancelled without a ball being bowled. Social media blasted the technical committee for their glitch in scheduling.

The final was scheduled on Sunday and the reason for the non-allotment of a reserve day was because of a previously scheduled ODI between New Zealand and England on Tuesday as per their bilateral assignment.

In order to avoid a complete washout, ICC extended the cut-off time and hence a 20-over final was planned to decide the winner of a 50-over tournament. Batting first, India put up just 129 from 20 overs until a fine show of bowling from Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin and Ishant Sharma saw India restrict England to 124/8 and register a five-run win.

#2 2003 World Cup - Rain knocks out Pakistan and England

The rain decided Pakistan, South Africa, West Indies, and England's fate in WC

Pakistan needed two wins out of the last two games to qualify for the next round. However, a Sachin Tendulkar special resulted in them losing the match against India. The equation now went into the net run-rate calculation as Pakistan's final league match opponent Zimbabwe was also in contention.

The match also kept England interesting as they were in the fray as well. A win for Pakistan meant that Pakistan, England, and Zimbabwe would have equal points and the team with the better net run-rate would take the ticket to Super Sixes.

However, the rain gods seemed to favour Zimbabwe as the rain poured down to abandon the match with only 14 overs of play possible. Zimbabwe qualified at the expense of much-fancied Pakistan and England owing to net-run rate.

#1 2017 Champions Trophy - When Australia got knocked-out without playing due to rain

Dejected Australians walk off after rain interrupted play

The ICC reinstated the Champions Trophy tournament and England was chosen as the hosts for the eight-nation tournament. Australia, at the back of their 2015 World Cup win went into the tournament as clear favorites.

However, the rain played spoilsport as every Australia match got affected by inclement weather. In their first league match, they faced off their Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand. Chasing a stiff target of 235 in 33 overs, Australia had a shocking start as they lost three wickets under 10 overs. Further rain abandoned the game.

In the next game, they bowled out Bangladesh for 182. Australia raced away to 83/1 in 16 overs but rain prevented further play and Australia's quest for another point. In the final game, they lost out to England in a shortened run-chase due to rain.

It was unfortunate to see Australia being knocked out due to rain-affected games which proved to be a damn squib all through the tournament.