Rain and cricket are two things that don’t necessarily go hand in hand. Rain has proven to be the reason behind many teams’ defeats over the years. In white-ball cricket or limited over cricket there Duckworth-Lewis Method to salvage a result. In this article, we will discuss how rain plays spoilsport in cricket and for the fans.
Rain playing spoilsport in cricket
There are many incidents of rain playing a spoilsport in cricket with one of the most prominent ones being South Africa’s loss to England in the 1992 World Cup or the recent one being in the fourth test match of the ongoing hotly contested Ashes series.
South Africa’s loss to England
South Africa’s loss to England in the 1992 Cricket World Cup is one of the most famous and controversial matches in cricket history due to the rain-rule method. South Africa faced England in the semi-final match of the 1992 Cricket World Cup on March 22, 1992, at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Rain disrupted the match, and South Africa’s target was altered using the then-current rain-rule procedure known as the “Best Run Rate” method. The “Best Run Rate” method was the predecessor to the Duckworth-Lewis method, which is still in use today. The team batting second’s target was altered using this technique based on the best run rate obtained by the team batting first up until the moment when rain stopped play. The target calculation formula was complicated and frequently criticized for being unfair.
South Africa needed 22 runs off 13 balls to win the semi-final when rain intervened and drove the players off the pitch. However, because of the rain-rule calculation, South Africa’s amended target was 21 runs off 1 ball when the action restarted. South Africa lost the match because they were unable to chase this impossible target.
4th match of Ashes 2023
Australia managed 317 runs in the first innings and England posted a huge total of 592 runs. The hosts helped their cause as they scored these runs pretty quickly in just 107.4 overs thanks to a great century by Zak Crawley. Crawley scored 189 runs in just 182 balls. Later in the innings, Jonny Bairstow’s knock of 99 not out in just 81 balls also helped England in gaining a substantial lead of 175 runs.
The weather was always going to be a huge factor in the game and England needed something special to win the game. Mark Wood and Chris Woakes bowled beautifully in tandem at the start of the innings to make inroads into the Australian batting lineup. With just 71 overs bowled in the third innings, England only managed to pick up 5 wickets as Marnus Labuschagne’s century ensured that there were no further hiccups for the Australian team. In the end, rain played its part and washed out the entire 5th day, which meant that Australia retained the Ashes urn.
Rain playing a spoilsport for the fans
Often matches get rained out for which fans wait in anticipation. For example, the IPL 2023 finals also saw rain playing spoilsport. The match scheduled for 28th May was shifted ‘to its reserve day (29th May) which got concluded in the early hours of 30th May. The rain also harms the wallets of the fans who are involved in betting. In limited-over games, a small delay because of rain can alter a lot of things in games. Often there are changes in the batting order and bowling quotas. Betting is already something that is hard for fans because they need to trust an app or a person with their money. Choosing a bookmaker’s office is the first thing that sports betting fans have to face. There are dozens of companies to make predictions now, but not all of them meet the high requirements. The exception is the brand Melbet bd. It is a good office with a lot of experience.
In a rain-affected match, the outfield often gets wet which makes it hard for bowlers, especially spin bowlers to maintain their lines and length. Bettors who expect a spinner to take wickets might lose out on their money if a game is affected by rain.
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