New Delhi: Rain is likely to play spoilsport in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2024 between India and England on Thursday, June 27. The all-important game will be played at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. However, the weather in the city doesn’t look promising as far as the semi-final is concerned. Heavy showers are predicted around the start of the contest in Guayana on Thursday.
Monsoon has already arrived in the Caribbean and Guyana has been witnessing consistent rains over the last few days. The weather forecast appears to be grim as there is a chance of 70% rain at around 10:30 AM local time when the game is scheduled to begin. The forecast does get better as the day progresses but there is still around 40% chance of rain till at least 2 PM local time (1:30 AM IST).
To make matters worse, there is no reserve day in place for the second semi-final between India and England. There was a reserve day for the first semi-final between South Africa and Afghanistan which was played at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad earlier today. South Africa defeated Afghanistan in a one-sided game to reach their first World Cup final.
However, ICC has allotted a buffer window of 250 minutes (4 hours and ten minutes) for the semi-final between India and England to be completed on the same day. But the semi-final cannot be a five-overs-a-side contest. 5-over matches are usual in T20 cricket to determine the result of a game, but rules are different for the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final.
Minimum 10 overs required in India-England semi-final
The semi-final between India and England will have to be at least a 10-overs-a-side match for the result to be determined. As per ICC’s playing conditions for the semi-final, both teams need to play at least ten overs in both the semi-final and final for an outcome to be generated.
However, with ICC keeping a 250-minute buffer window for the semi-final, the match can start as late as 2 PM local time and 1:30 AM IST. The fans are set to be in for a long night in India on Thursday with rain all but set to hamper the proceedings in the semi-final.
India though have an advantage if rain washes out the semi-final completely as they will qualify for the final on the basis of better ranking and more points in the Super Eight.
The T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final between India and England cannot be a 5-overs-a-side game and there is a rule for the minimum overs that a side needs to play in order to determine the result of the match. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
