After an eventful league phase of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, India topped the standings as they finished with 15 points while defending champions Australia settled at the second position with 14 points.
India will now face New Zealand in the first semi-final at the Old Trafford in Manchester while the hosts England will take on Australia in the 2nd semi-final at the Edgbaston in Birmingham.
The English summer season has always had its issues with the rain, and the ongoing World Cup is following a similar pattern. And if the forecasts are to be believed, the next two big encounters, India vs New Zealand on July 9 and England vs Australia on July 11 are set to be affected by rain as well.
What if the rain spoils the play in the semi-finals?
The first half of the World Cup 2019 was often spoiled by rain. A total of four matches were washed out including three without even a possibility of the toss. However, the weather got drier over the last few weeks as the matches hardly got interrupted. However, there are warning signs considering the forecasts for the semi-final matches.
There is a probability of 40% of rain chances during the first semi-final to be played in Manchester. On the other hand, the second semi-final which will be played in Birmingham has a 30% chances of rain.
However, the good news is that both the games have reserve days unlike during the league matches. The weather is expected to get better on the reserve day compared to that of the actual match day. In the worst possible case of both teams not playing 20 overs even after going into the reserve day, Super Over would take place to decide which team will go through to the final.
The Super Over should be played inside the allotted extra time which is applicable in case of the actual game ending in a Tie. If the Super Over is also not possible, the team that has finished higher in the points table goes forward. This means India and Australia will face each other in the final if both the semi-finals get washed out without a result and even a Super Over.
