Wet wet wet!

The umbrella could become the mascot of the 7th edition of the World Cup, due to begin in England on May 14.

Meterologists indicate that in May and June, while it need not necessarily rain every day, the real problem is that when it does rain, it is a deluge, leaving the ground wet and soggy.

Lord's, for instance, can expect as many as 33 hours of rain in May, another 27 in June -- and the venue is slated to stage three matches.

One thing is for sure, though -- despite the initial belief that the glimpses of sun could mean good batting pitches, chances are the tracks will have more than their fair share of moisture early on, and that in turn means that batting first is always going to be a handicap.

But an even bigger handicap could be matches washed out by rain -- if it happens say on May 15 when India play South Africa and both teams end up with one point, nothing much is lost, but if the same were to happen when India plays the weaker teams in the group, then India ends up sharing points instead of winning them outright, and that could impact on its progress into the second round.