World Cup: What happens if India vs NZ semis clash is washed out?

Rain seemed to have enjoyed their time in the spotlight in the first half of ICC World Cup 2019 and there are chances they might show up again during the semi-finals. As per the forecast, showers are expected during the clash at Manchester.

In the tournament, four matches were washed out due to rains and there were no reserve days available in the league stage.

India who finished on top of the table (15 points) will face New Zealand (11 points) on Tuesday (July 9). The first semi-final clash has 40% chances of being washed out. On the other hand, hosts England will battle it out with five-time champions Australia in Edgbaston, Birmingham on Thursday (July 11) which has 30% chances of being abandoned due to rain.

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However, this time the ICC has decided to keep reserve days. It’s Wednesday (July 10) for the India-New Zealand and Friday (July 12) for the England-Australia. In a worst case scenario, if both the teams don’t get a chance to play a minimum of 20 overs will have a face-off again on the reserve day, where a Super Over can be opted to decide which team will qualify for the final.

If Super Over is also not possible, then the team that finishes higher on the points table will make it to the finals, provided both the knockout games are washed out without a result or Super Over.

The weather in England has been unpredictable, but the second half of the tournament (considered to be Match 23 of the tournament between India and Pakistan, played on June 16) has been drier with pitches getting slower. These conditions doesn’t favour sides which rely on their seam attack, like New Zealand and Australia.

One can only hope that the weather predictions don’t come true, but if it rains the whole week and reserve days don’t come in handy, then the fans can expect another high-intensity India-Australia final on Sunday (July 14).