Bright skies set scene for India-England clash

BENGALORE: The weather threat that was hanging over the big match between India and England on Sunday has apparently passed as a sunny sky set the stage for what is arguably the most eagerly-awaited game in the World Cup so far.

The sun is forecast to give way to some slight cloud cover in the evening but for the Group B day-nighter (0900 GMT start) the possibility of rain shortening the match has reduced.

So far the only game in the Feb 19-April 2 tournament that had been hit by rain was between South Africa and West Indies on Thursday in New Delhi.

The prospect of clear skies means that the teams now need to worry only about the nature of the wicket and no longer must factor in the complicated Duckworth-Lewis scoring system which comes in to decide matches which are truncated by the weather.

Supporters formed serpentine queues to get into the stadium, a happier scene than last Thursday when fans clashed with police after tickets for public sale were sold out in a matter of minutes.

This time the mood was more festive with the Indian fans donning face paint, waving the tricolour and blowing trumpets as they waited patiently to get in from about four hours before the match was scheduled to start.

There was a tight security cordon which spanned one kilometre around the stadium and supporters and media alike were frisked before entering.

The stadium was about half-full an hour before the scheduled start time but the roars of the fans that greeted the few Indian players who came out to inspect the pitch was worthy of a packed house.