ODI World Cup 2023: Weather Update from Lucknow ahead of AUS vs SA clash

Australia vs South Africa will be played on Thursday. The match will take place at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana (BRSBAVE) Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. This is the first time since 1996, that five-time world champions Australia started their World Cup campaign with a loss. They lost their first match against India, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. Both the teams have played 108 ODIs against each other. South Africa won it 54 times and Australia 50 while 3 matches ended in a tie. There was no result in one match.

Before coming to the World Cup these two met in a five-match ODI series. The Proteas made a comeback after being 0-2 down they won the series 3-2. In World Cups, these two have played 6 times against each other with the Aussies winning three times. Fans will never forget the 1999 run out when one run was required and Allan Donald got run out of the last ball.

The pitch appears in favour of teams batting second. Though the pitch is well-balanced, teams should aim for a first-innings score far higher than the 230 average and second-innings score of 212 in ODIs at this venue. Spinners could play a pivotal role in shaping the outcome, with a slight advantage on their side.

Rain in Lucknow 

With little chance of rain, the weather conditions in Lucknow are set to be hot and humid. According to the various reports, there is a 2% probability of rain. While the expected temperature is to hover around 35 degrees Celsius whereas the minimum temperature is expected to be around 21 degrees Celsius. The humidity is expected to be around 43%, adding a touch of moisture to the atmosphere, while the wind will be blowing at a gentle pace of 10 kilometers per hour.

Mitchell Starc created a record at Chennai against India. He became the fastest bowler to reach 50 wickets. He just needs to bag 22 more wickets to break the long-held record of Australian legendary pacer Glenn McGrath of 71 wickets at the World Cup. Australia will look to get back to the winning ways.