In the first semifinal of the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023, hosts India will take on New Zealand at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. In a 2019 repeat game, India will be keen to avenge their previous edition defeat against the Balck Caps. On the other hand, the Kane Williamson-led side will also be determined to beat India in quest of their first World Cup title.
It’s worth noting that in the 2019 World Cup, India faced New Zealand in a rain-affected game at Old Trafford. However, this year the match is unlikely to be affected by rain, but if it does, a question will arise about who will qualify for the finals. Will there be a reserve day again or will India, being at the top of the league stage, qualify further?
It’s worth noting that knockout games come with an additional safeguard against rain as they have a reserve day. So, if rain washes out the actual day of the game, it will continue on reserve day. However, if the rain continues on the reserve day, the team with a higher position in the points table will qualify further. That means if a match gets abandoned due to rain, India will qualify for the finals considering they finished first on the points table.
Who will advance to the finals in the second game?
In the second semi-final of the ongoing tournament, South Africa will take on Australia at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Likewise, if that game also fails to get a result, South Africa will qualify for the semifinals. They have finished second in the points table with seven wins in nine games. It’s worth noting that South Africa lost two games against the Netherlands and India in the league stage.
On the other hand, Australia finished third with seven wins in nine league games. They got hammered by India and South Africa in their first two league games. However, due to a poor net-run rate, the team failed to finish in second place in the points table. Meanwhile, ahead of the semifinals, India will take on the Netherlands in the last league game of the ongoing tournament.
