The Cricket World Cup is set for an uncertain week as rain continues to strike large parts of the UK.

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Pakistan v Sri Lanka was abandoned before a ball was bowled last week while several other games have been delayed, shortened or disrupted throughout the tournament so far.

Aside from the obvious inconvenience for travelling fans, there are plenty of challenges the rain will throw at competition organisers if it continues to wash out matches.

RadioTimes.com has rounded up everything you need to know when rain strikes the Cricket World Cup.

What happens when it rains in the Cricket World Cup?

Covers are quickly brought onto the field to preserve the pitch.

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Players will leave the field and umpires play the waiting game. The fate of the match is in their hands.

How long can rain delay Cricket World Cup matches?

Approximately eight hours are allocated to each ODI match from the official start time.

If conditions improve within 'game time', if the rain stops and the surface below the covers has been protected from the elements, then play can continue or begin.

For example, most Cricket World Cup matches are scheduled to start at 10:30am.

As a rule of thumb, the game will be given until around 6:30pm to be played.

When are Cricket World Cup matches abandoned?

However, if the approximate eight hours expire or if conditions have no chance of improvement, matches will be abandoned.

A variety of factors will then come into play with regards to settling the match result...

Will Cricket World Cup games be replayed?

No. Due to the tightly-scheduled nature of the competition and no guarantees that the rain will stay away, Cricket World Cup matches will not be replayed.

If the match ends before the second innings or before a ball is bowled, it will be considered a draw.

If the match ends during the second innings, the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method – as detailed below – will be applied.

What is the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method?

The DLS method is used to adjust run targets based on the amount of overs bowled and wickets lost.

The complex calculations are essentially designed to proportionally reduce run targets for the second innings side.

Each team starts the match with a set number of 'resources' comprising of overs to bowl and wickets in hand with the ultimate aim of scoring runs.

Rain can reduce the amount of resources either team has.

The percentage of a teams' resources that are lost to the rain, will be taken into account by the DLS system and the run target for the second side will be proportionally reduced.

For the full ICC explanation, see their official website.

Will Cricket World Cup fans get refunds?

Certain criteria must be met in order for fans to receive a full or part refund.

Full refund – 15 overs or less because of adverse weather conditions.

50% refund – 15.1 to 29.5 overs because of adverse weather conditions.

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For full details can be found on the ICC Cricket World Cup website.

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