Interestingly the league stage match between India and New Zealand got washed out too. (Reuters)A confident Indian side will take on New Zealand in the first semi-finals of ICC World Cup 2019 in Manchester on Tuesday. While fans can expect a high-intensity contest, rains might play a spoilsport with downpour being predicted on the match day.
If the match is washed out on Tuesday, it will be played on the following day, which is the ‘reserve day’. Unlike the group stage fixtures where a point is allotted to both the sides in case of a washout, ICC has a reserve day for both semi-finals and finals.
Unfortunately, the weather forecast for the ‘reserve day’ also shows showers along with overcast conditions. If the match is washed out on the reserve day too then India will automatically qualify for the finals courtesy of accumulating the higher number of points in the group stages.
Interestingly the league stage match between India and New Zealand got washed out too. The two sides played each other in the warm-up matches with Kiwi pace battery rattling the Indian batting order.
If the rain stops within a given period of time then the DLS method comes into play. One or both the teams may not get to bat the 50 overs as both balls and the target is revised after taking the ongoing situation into consideration.
After securing a convincing seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka on Saturday, the Virat Kohli-led Indian unit emerged as the table toppers, with 15 points in nine matches.
New Zealand, on the other hand, were shaky during the final phase of the league stage and stood at the fourth position. With three defeats in their nine matches, the Black Caps could only garner 11 points in an equal number of matches.
Despite leading the table, the Men in Blue won’t make the mistake to take the Kiwis lightly. Spearheaded by the Trent Boult, the Kiwi pace battery has already rattled the Indian batting unit during their warm-up fixture.
Kane Williamson and his men, on the other hand, will go into the contest on the back of three consecutive defeats and would look to return winning ways when they take on India in the first semifinal at Old Trafford.
