World Cup 2019: What happens if India vs New Zealand semi-final is washed out?
Rain has played a major spoilsport in World Cup 2019 so far. The early part of the tournament was hampered by incessant rain. Three matches were abandoned without a ball being bowled, while one match failed to yield any result. But since then, rain gods have been merciful.
India will take on New Zealand for the first semi-final at Manchester on Tuesday (July 9). If the semifinal gets abandoned due to rain on Tuesday, ICC has a reserve day in store. However, a second washout will see India in the final, thanks to their position on the points table.
Thought the news about reserve day is encouraging for cricket fans, the weather forecast is not. There are more than 30% chances of rain in the afternoon but things are on the brighter side after that. So, we should be able to witness a result even if it is shortened.
In case the weather forecast is proved wrong and rain does not go away quickly, the match would be moved to the reserve day on 10th July. Unfortunately, the weather forecast for Wednesday is worse, as there is a high probability of rain throughout the day.
If the match is not completed even on the reserve day, then we are left with only one option. In that case, India will qualify for the World Cup final for the fourth time in their history.
According to the tournament rules, if the result is not achieved in a knockout match, the team which finished higher in league stage will go through to the next round. India topped the table in the league stage, while New Zealand finished fourth. Quite understandably, the Indians won't be too upset about rain.
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