India’s World Cup 2019 semi-final against New Zealand on Tuesday was stopped due to rain and the International Cricket Council had earlier released a statement explaining the provisions for reserve days for knockout matches.
Virat Kohli and Co reduced the Kiwis to 211/5 in 46.1 overs before rain took over at the Old Trafford. The players were taken off for several hours after that and statisticians soon started detailing the equations after Duckworth–Lewis–Stern calculations.
With rain continuing to pour down in Manchester, the ICC decided to clear all the confusion regarding reserve days for knockout matches at this edition of the World Cup.
Here is what the ICC’s rule states regarding semi-final and final reserve days at World Cup 2019:
The knock-out stage of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 introduces Reserve Days for the semi-final and final, should they be required (e.g. due to poor weather).
Below explains how they work and what you need to know as a ticket buyer should a Reserve Day be utilised.
When are the Reserve Days?
Semi-final 1: India vs New Zealand at Old Trafford – Wednesday 10th July (10.30am BST start time).
Semi-final 2: England vs Australia at Edgbaston – Friday 12th July (10.30am BST start time).
Final: Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2 at Lord’s – Monday 15th July (10.30am BST start time).
When is a Reserve Day required?
The match officials determine if conditions allow for play to be completed on the original match day.
Where possible, the matches will be held on their originally planned day and in the event of poor weather for example, there are a range of steps taken to be able to finish the match that day e.g. reducing the number of overs down to the minimum of 20 overs per team needed to achieve a result, or by extending the match by up to 120 minutes.
If there is still no result on the scheduled match day, play will continue on the Reserve Day, using the same start time and hours of play as the scheduled match day.
How does the Reserve Day work?
The reserve day will be a continuation not a restart, assuming play commenced on the original match day, meaning the score from the original match day will be carried through to the reserve day.
If no play was possible on the original planned match day, a full 50-over per team match will commence on the Reserve Day, weather permitting.
A tied match will use a super over to determine the winner.
What if no play is possible on the Reserve Day?
If after the scheduled day and reserve day the semi-final match has still not reached a result, the higher-placed team from the CWC19 league stage will progress to the final.
If there is no play possible on either the originally schedule day of the final, nor the Reserve Day, the World Cup will be shared by the two finalist teams.
Information to ticket holders
Your match ticket is valid for both the originally planned date of the match and will also be valid on the Reserve Day if required. Please hold onto your ticket for the Reserve Day to gain entry to the ground.
If you are unable to attend the Reserve Day, please note that you cannot sell your ticket to other fans due to the limited turnaround time.
[With inputs from ICC]