An exciting England vs Pakistan showdown in the T20 World Cup final this weekend threatens to be spoiled by the looming spectre of inclement weather conditions.
The current forecast for Sunday in Melbourne is very worrying to put it mildly, with an extremely high chance of rain showers, strong wind and even thunderstorms that could become severe, threatening the chances of any play in a huge match at the MCG.
Such weather fears have led to a slight late change in the rules to give us every possible chance of a satisfactory result from the tournament showpiece and prevent an enjoyable competition from ending with a damp squib.
Monday has been designated as a reserve day for the contest in the event that a finish is not possible on Sunday, with an extra two hours scheduled if required.
That means we could be looking at a 4am GMT start in the early hours of Monday morning.
Whereas just five overs needed to be played during the Super 12 stage in order to constitute a result, that figure rises to 10 in the final.
If it is simply not possible to complete 10 overs by the end of the extended reserve window on Monday, then England and Pakistan will share the trophy as joint-winners - a highly frustrating outcome for both sets of players.
