ICC World Cup: Here's what will happen if India's semi-final is washed out by rain

With the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 in full swing, India, South Africa, and Australia have effectively secured their seats in the highly-anticipated semi-finals. The cricket world holds its collective breath for New Zealand, the expected fourth semi-finalist, to officially join the semis.

Topping the charts, India have won in all eight of their matches, thereby guaranteeing their place in the semi-finals. That also makes it indifferent to the result of their concluding league match against the Netherlands this Sunday.

With New Zealand unable to secure a standing higher than the 4th position, the stage is all set for an exhilarating India vs New Zealand World Cup semi-final clash on November 15 at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. While Pakistan's semi-final dreams are still mathematically alive, the chances hover on the brink of the impossible.  

To get the last semi-final spot, Pakistan will not only have to win their last match but to achieve a victory margin so big that it somehow increases their net run rate above New Zealand's. To advance to the semi-finals, Pakistan will have to defeat England by 287 runs or, if chasing, they will have to reach the target in 2.4 overs.

Australia and South Africa are currently neck and neck in the cricket league standings with South Africa holding the No. 2 spot, boasting 14 points from seven league wins. With only 12 points from an equal number of matches, Australia is hot on their heels. 

However, if Australia defeats Bangladesh by a large margin in their last league match and their net run rate exceeds South Africa's, they will move up to second and South Africa will drop to third, which could have an impact if the semi-final between the two teams in Kolkata on November 16 is washed out.

What happens if the World Cup semi-finals gets washed out?

However, what if incessant rainfall stops play in semi-finals. If India's semi-final in the 2023 ICC World Cup is washed out by rain, the teams will get a reserve day for the match.

There is a possibility that the reserve day for the semi-finals of the ICC World Cup 2023 could also be washed out by rain. This has happened in the past, such as in the IPL finals of 2019 and 2022.

The ICC has said that it is taking steps to minimize the risk of this happening, such as by guarding the semi-finals with an extra layer of security. However, it is impossible to eliminate the risk of rain altogether.

If the reserve day is also washed out, the ICC has said that it will use the Duckworth-Lewis method to determine the winner of the match. The Duckworth-Lewis method is a statistical method that is used to calculate a revised target score for the team batting second in a rain-affected match.

If the Duckworth-Lewis method cannot be used, the match will be declared a no result. If both semi-finals are no results, the teams that finished higher on the points table in the group stage will progress to the final.

In this case, India would finish higher on the points table than the other semi-finalist, and would therefore progress to the final. In the same way, whoever finishes second in the points table between South Africa and Australia will advance to the final if their semi-final is similarly washed out.

This rule has been in place since the 2019 World Cup, and was introduced to ensure that the best teams reach the final of the tournament.

If the final of the tournament is also washed out, the team that finished higher on the points table in the group stage will be declared the winner of the tournament.

The ICC's playing conditions also state that if a match is reduced to less than 20 overs per side, the Duckworth-Lewis method will be used to determine the winner. 

The ICC's playing conditions also state that if a match is abandoned before 20 overs have been bowled per side, the match will be declared a no result.

Also Read: Eng vs Pak: Pakistan's hope for World Cup nearly over as England opts to bat first; here's what Babar Azam's team needs to qualify