Rain Forces India vs NZ Semi to be Abandoned; What Happens Now?

If New Zealand don’t come out to bat again in their innings, India will need to score 148 in 20 overs.

Umpires interact after rain stopped play during the Cricket World Cup semi-final match between India and New Zealand at Old Trafford in Manchester.

(Photo: AP)

New Zealand were 211 for five against India in 46.1 overs when rain stopped play in the first World Cup semifinal, on Tuesday, 9 July. And after four and a half hours of waiting and watching, play had to eventually be abandoned for the day.

Earlier, the Kiwis had endured a sluggish start after opting to bat, before Ross Taylor took them past the 200-run mark with an unbeaten 67-run knock. On a difficult pitch, skipper Kane Williamson scored 67 off 95 balls.

Two hours after the play stopped, is when the overs had started getting cut. In the case that play could have resumed the same day, DLS could have been employed with 20 overs of the second innings constituting a game. In that case, New Zealand would not have batted and India would have needed to score 148 in 20 overs. And their DLS-adjusted target for 46 overs would be 237.

But, none of that happened.

What Happens to India vs New Zealand Now

Both the World Cup semifinals, and the final have a reserve day. Since the match did not resume today, the knockout game will continue tomorrow (Wednesday, 10 July) from where it stopped. That means New Zealand will start batting at 211/5 with 23 balls remaining. India will then play their entire 50 overs.

And IF rain decides to play spoilsport again tomorrow, and the match is washed out, a result will not be possible, and the team ranked higher during the league stage i.e. India, will qualify for the final.

And in case you’re wondering, if the final of the ICC World Cup 2019 is also washed out, both teams will share the trophy!

Brief Scores

New Zealand: 211 for 5 in 46.1 overs. (R Taylor 67 batting, K Williamson 67, Henry Nicholls 28; J Bumrah 1/25, B Kumar 1/30).