‘I pray for rain’: Former Pakistan cricketer’s wish for IND-PAK match today goes viral as Colombo weather scares fans

The India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup match faces uncertainty due to possible rain. While fans from both sides of the border wish for an interrupted match, former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has said that he is praying for rain. His unique perspective has gone viral. Speaking on A Sports, Ali said he would prefer rain to a full game.

“Meri to dua hai Allah-taala baarish kar de (I pray for rain). There shouldn’t be any match. Both teams will get 1 point each.

“Are you scared?” he was asked.

“I’m not. I’m not asking for rain because I’m scared of losing. Both will get 1 point each,” he repeated.

“But, we want the full match,” the host says.

“I want full rain,” Basit Ali adds without explaining his reasons further.

Pakistani journalist Shahid Akhtar Hashmi was also there in the discussion. He had a humorous take on the IND-PAK rivalry.

He referred to the 2022 T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan in Melbourne. He said that, while there had been predictions of rain, the match did take place.

“Allah Miyan ko manzoor tha wo match hona aur humara haarna,” he quipped.

Former Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal, also present during the discussion, wondered if any ICC match between India and Pakistan had ever been called off due to rain. It never happened either in ODIs or in T20s, he said.

Hashmi agreed: “It never happened. 2012 me hum mashallah se haare, 2014 me hum mashallah se haare, 2016 me…2021 me humne haraaya.”

“In my memory, no IND-PAK match was cancelled due to rain. Mashallah, we lost 0-8 in ODIs. And, we lost 1-7 to India in T20 World Cups. So, all 15 matches happened. Whenever we play against India, alhamdulillah, we don’t leave anyone disappointed,” he quipped.

“Inshallah barish hi hogi (God-willing, it will rain for sure),” wrote an Instagram user.

“Basit bhai, umr ho gai hai ghar me rest karen (Basit bhai, you’ve grown old. Stay at home and rest),” wrote another user.

Another user posted, “Pak ko barish bchayegi is bar (Rain will save Pakistan this time).”

“Ye Basit Ali old school hain inka opinion kabhi he acha nahi hota (Basit Ali is old school. His opinions are never fair),” came from another.

The probability of rain remains moderate through the afternoon, staying near 49% from 2 PM to 6 PM. There will be a brief rise to 63% around 5 PM. Earlier at 1 PM, chances touched 61%.

However, conditions improve sharply by evening. From 7 PM, when the match is scheduled to begin, the rain chance drops to just 9% and stays low through the night.

This suggests the biggest weather threat lies before the toss rather than during play. If the forecast holds, fans may still witness a largely-uninterrupted contest despite earlier uncertainty.

“PLEASE BE AWARE. A low-pressure area is likely to form over the southeastern Bay of Bengal around 15 February,” Sri Lanka's Department of Meteorology stated ahead of the India-Pakistan match.