Groundsmen bring out a water removal machine as it rains during the Cricket World Cup semifinal match between India and New Zealand at Old Trafford in Manchester (Source: AP)India vs New Zealand (IND vs NZ), World Cup 2019 Semi-Final: In the first semifinal of the World Cup 2019, New Zealand were 211/5 in the 46th over before rain stopped play at Manchester, Old Trafford on Tuesday. New Zealand were on their way to a fighting total when it started drizzling and covers were brought on to cover the pitch and most part of the grounds. So what happens if the rain doesn’t stop?
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.
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.
Bad news
The rain has increased, and the teams have had to leave the field.
New Zealand: 211/5 (46.1 overs)#INDvNZ | #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/Q0sPZPkhRm
— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) July 9, 2019
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.
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.
