What will be India’s fate if the match against South Africa is washed out? (Source: Reuters)
Rain has played a spoilsport in most of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 matches so far. Although heavy showers are not expected on Sunday, the day India play top ranked ODI team South Africa, forecast could be proven wrong.
It is a knockout clash for the two countries, who would want to win the match to book their spot in the semifinals of the tournament. Both the teams lost their last matches, leaving the Sunday match as their only hope to make it to the next level. After defeating Pakistan in the opening game, India faced a shock defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka. South Africa on the other hand beat Sri Lanka only to lose to Pakistan in the next game.
The weather forecast suggests that the sky would remain clear during the clash between the defending champions and South Africa. But what happens if the match gets washed out?
Both the teams stand with two points in the Group B table. If the match stands washed out, both India and South Africa will receive a point each. This will leave them both with three points, but India will advance to the semifinals due to a higher Net Run Rate.
India stand with 1.272 NRR in comparison to South Africa’s 1.000.
This would leave South Africa out unless the Sri Lanka vs Pakistan match also ends up in a draw or is washed out. This will help South Africa book their spot in the final four due to a better NRR than Pakistan (1.544) and Sri Lanka (0.879).