- Sunday, February 23, 2025
The match has no reserve day, unlike the other semi-final, and additional 250 minutes have been allotted to the game in case rain interrupts. If still there is no play, India go through.
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIA were set to take on holders England in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup in the West Indies on Thursday (27). However, the replay of the 2022 semi-final in which the Three Lions thrashed the Men in Blue by 10 wickets in Adelaide might not be possible due to forecast of heavy rain at the Providence Stadium in Guyana.
The semi-final clash between India and England does not have a reserve day, unlike the first which was played between South Africa and Afghanistan at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba in Trinidad and Tobago earlier on Thursday. That match was a completely lop-sided affair as the Proteas hammered Afghanistan by nine wickets after bundling them for just 56 and winning with more than 11 overs to spare.
As far as the India-England game is concerned, it was pre-decided that India will be playing the semi-final match, if they make it, in Guyana. But there is no reserve day since the gap between the second semi-final and the final, which will be played in Bridgetown in Barbados on Saturday (29), is just a day.
Read: South Africa end Afghan fairy tale, make first ever T20 WC final
However, the second semi-final game has an extra 250 minutes scheduled for it in case there are extensive rain delays. It is a day-only affair.
India captain Rohit Sharma, who played a match-winning knock in his team’s previous game against Australia in the Super Eight on Monday (24), said while nobody is in control of the weather, the only thing that was making him concerned is that if the semi-final match goes on till late, then the Indian team might miss a scheduled chartered flight. He said this in a press conference on the eve of the big clash.
Read: Former England captain Paul Collingwood can’t see India losing semis
Rohit’s opposite number Buttler, who was one of the two unbeaten England batters in the Adelaide game along with Alex Hales, said while the memories are still relished, India have come a long way since that defeat and have changed their strategy in their style of play which is more aggressive now, in both forms of white-ball cricket.
There is a considerable chance that the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2024 gets washed out since Guyana is experiencing quite a decent downpour over the past few days and there is a 90 per cent possibility of rain on Thursday.
If no match is possible at all during the day, the additional 250 minutes included, India will advance to the final due to their higher standing in the group.
India, who are unbeaten in the tournament so far, finished with three wins out of three in Group 1 of Super Eight, ahead of Afghanistan, Australia and Bangladesh.
England, on the other hand, finished second in Group 2 of Super Eight behind South Africa as they lost the game against the Proteas by seven runs.
