Last Updated on 11 months by Charbel Coorey

Cricket News: A look at the weather forecast at Eden Gardens Kolkata for the semi-final between Australia & South Africa | Will weather play spoilsport?

24 years on from one of the great ODIs of all time, Australia and South Africa will once again do battle in a World Cup Semi-Final. Both teams come into the clash in good form, with the Proteas finishing second and Australia winning their past seven matches.

However, rain could play spoilsport, which would rob fans of a highly anticipated clash that could go either way. According to some weather forecasts, a cyclone is set to bring lots of rain to Kolkata on November 16 and 17 – both the first and reserve day of the Semi-Final.

If the match ends in a no-result, South Africa will progress to the final given they finished higher in the points table.

Eden Gardens Kolkata weather forecast – Google, BBC predict rain, AccuWeather paints a much more optimistic picture

In good news, Google’ s forecast has improved over the past two days. It previously predicted a 60% chance of precipitation for Thursday, but that has fallen to 45% with less than a 50% chance right up until midnight. On the reserve day, the chance of precipitation increases to 60% (down from 90%), with less than 50% chance from 9am onwards.

BBC’s forecast has also improved. The chances of precipitation hover around 30-50% thoughout the day, with light right showers and a gentle breeze the official forecast.

However, AccuWeather, which is often considered the most accurate source, painted a much better picture right from early in the week. According to the platform, there is just a 25% chance of precipitation on Thursday, with heavy cloud forecast which may aid swing. Also, according to the hourly forecast, there is just a 7% chance of precipitation throughout.

In fact, the expected amount is 0 mm, which is a fascinating and unusual contrast from what other platforms are predicting. Should AccuWeather prove to be right, there won’t even be the need for a reserve day.

What can we expect from the Eden Gardens pitch?

Batting has been tricky at times in Kolkata in this World Cup. Both seam and spin has been available for the bowlers. The average first innings score in four matches at Eden Gardens is 274, with consecutive 300+ scores in the past two games.

Teams batting first have had the better of proceedings, winning three of the four matches. Only Pakistan, who chased a low 204 against Bangladesh, have won when chasing. Netherlands defended 229 against Bangladesh, while India’s 326 and England’s 337 were too much for South Africa and Pakistan respectively.

So, if South Africa, who are so good when batting first, do get the chance to set a total, they will be very hard to beat. In fact, they have dominated Australia in the past 20 ODIs between the teams, winning 16 of them.

However, how will the Proteas respond to the pressure of a semi-final? If the weather allows, we will get the answer to an intriguing and fascinating question.