Melbourne: The MCG, that familiar, shiny concrete cauldron in which so much cricketing folklore is brewed, stands forlorn on the eve of the World Cup final.
The colosseum is sun-baked on Saturday but the forecast is grim on match day, for 100% rain, meaning ticket counters are largely devoid of those heartbroken, last-minute hopefuls who always provide the pulse to a contest.
The fan zone is only a slightly peppier affair, all manufactured effect, food carts, smells and babies in prams. Forgotten melodies meld into wistful glances. Everyone present here breaks into a painful, embarrassed, knowing nod.
There will be rain and there will be no India-Pakistan final either and it's all absolutely unfair and it shows in their faces, especially those of the Pakistani fans! This is a far cry from the whirlwind-riding fervour, all colour and passion and pulsing heartbeat, which so memorably invaded these hallowed grounds just last month.
Had it not been for the rain forecast, England versus Pakistan, with dollops of once-in-a-generation dynamism on either side, would have stirred passions like no other.
Jos Buttler's mighty England side is still the stronger team on paper, possessing as much 'junoon' as the vibe-fuelled, fortune-favored, magic-weaving, god-fearing Pakistani outfit.
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