The first semi-final of the World Cup will be played over two days after rain stopped Tuesday’s play with New Zealand on 5-211 against India after 46.1 overs.
New Zealand will resume on 5-211 after the end of their innings was curtailed by rain, prompting their World Cup semi-final against India to be taken to a reserve day.
Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor registered battling half-centuries on a sluggish Old Trafford surface, where early seam movement under heavy cloud cover and turn for the spinners made life difficult for the Kiwi batsmen.
Taylor was gradually building momentum before a steady drizzle turned heavier as the players were brought off at 2pm local time, with the Black Caps 3.5 overs short of completing their innings.
The showers briefly relented at 5:30pm to raise hopes of completing the fixture, albeit with India facing a 20-over chase, but then returned, ensuring play will be deferred until Wednesday morning (1930 AEST), weather permitting.
International Cricket Council regulations mean New Zealand will carry on where they left off, with Taylor on 67 not out alongside Tom Latham (3 no) as they look to push their side on to a competitive total in a match that is still 50 overs per side.
Williamson had earlier gone past 500 runs for the tournament but his 67 used up 95 deliveries on a day where all five of India’s front-line bowlers took a wicket apiece.
Ravindra Jadeja was economical, as was Jasprit Bumrah, who conceded only 25 runs from his eight overs.
The group stage table-toppers burned their review after the first ball, Bhuvneshwar Kumar rapping Martin Guptill on the pads but Hawkeye showing the delivery was sliding past leg-stump.
Guptill was therefore spared a third golden duck of the tournament but contributed one off 14 balls before edging to Virat Kohli at second slip.
New Zealand had taken 17 balls to get their first run and a score of 1-27 after 10 overs was a tournament low.
Henry Nicholls made it to double figures for the first time in three innings before being bowled through the gate for 28 off 51 balls by Jadeja.
That brought together Williamson and Taylor but even their watchful stand of 65 in exactly 17 overs yielded only five fours.
Williamson tried to up the ante before the Kiwis’ captain sliced the recalled Yuzvendra Chahal to short third man.
Taylor eventually kicked into gear, launching Chahal over deep mid-wicket for his 50 as New Zealand took 18 from the leg-spinner’s final over.
Taylor successfully reviewed a leg-before decision off Bhuvneshwar on 52, having been hit outside the line of impact, before the players were hauled off after 46.1 overs as the inclement weather worsened.
ojp
Guest
Arent we discussing contingency plans for when something goes wrong (ie rain) ? Not sure where the suggestion of dudding a team via scheduling bias came from but it matters not.... how about the second innings eh ? What a game!
DCD
Roar Rookie
He makes about ten different predictions before each game. Still, amazingly always wrong.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Yes you are right. Some times bowling teams do have to that. It's often a tactic of the batting team to keep their opponents out in the field for as long as possible. There are reasons why they do that and it's not just scoreboard pressure. In the Test example, a team that has been in the field - bowling - for one and a half days, would be considered to have been out there for a reasonably long period of time. That's 135 overs. In the replay scenario, it would be 100 overs.
deepoz
Roar Rookie
I don't think pitch will be affected by the rain. The Hover covers are pretty good. The air flow keeps the wicket dry. I don't know what is the impact of the moisture content of the air but India has to accept that. The cloud cover is a different matter; but that can happen even otherwise. The 'major protest' you are referring to, perhaps should be for the scheduling such an important event at a bad time in English summer. It should have been held in Aug/Sep. If English can't provide prime time to ICC's major event and give priority to a test series or their domestic circuit, may be they shouldn't host a world cup.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Both teams in Test cricket start out with no advantage over the other in that regard. This would be different. I doubt if the schedule had come out with NZ playing multiple instances of back-to-back matches against teams that had minimum three day breaks, that it would have been looked on too kindly by NZ cricket or its supporters.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
I guess it's the best of a number of not-so-palatable solutions to a bad situation?
Jacko
Guest
is bowling worse than the mental stress the batsmen would have been under? i dont see an issue in bowling the next day....tests have 90 overs in a day and teams have to bowl all day on day one then also keep bowling on day two......Why not have a days rest in between? its not as if we have to complete this game before thursday is it! ....As we know TV rules....Just wait for the squeals if the pitch is badly rain affected and India are dismissed cheaply because of it...
jacko
Guest
yeah spot on ...NZ batsmen also I guess.....It just seems an odd way to decide a WC semi and it could prove very bad for 1 of the sides....it all becomes a lottery now...is the pitch better? Worse? Thats the unknown....rain should not decide a semi final in a WC.....have more days in reserve...
ojp
Guest
I am not in favour of the whole match starting again but not because its 'not fair' to ask the Indian bowlers to bowl a whole 10 overs two days in a row... Come on now Jeff; they can manage 10 overs each two days in row.... if not, how do we explain Test Cricket ?
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Yes. It's a far "less" unfair prospect than requiring India to bowl two days in a row.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
My counter to that Jacko, regarding fairness, is you then have to ask India's bowlers to back up a 50-over performance on consecutive days.
Ouch
Roar Rookie
Also my prediction about India winning the semi by 7 wickets is set to look spot on. Your prediction was: also who will win tonight? NZ by 2 wickets. NZ to skittle the indian batting
Jacko
Guest
yes it does appear that India has an advantage but only one side had batted....And i have seen many results in the past where a side looked to be on top after the first innings in test one day and T20 cricket...I remember a famous Aussie Victory where the West indies bowled Aus out for around 100...Everything looked like a dominant WI win but thats not what happened...Aus bowled WI out under 100 and won....Nothing is decided until the last run is scored or the last wicket taken.....Will everyone feel the same if the day was raining but after a delay the players got on and the pitch played major tricks?
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
The pitch conditions thing isn't just morning v afternoon. The pitch won't be exactly the same the next morning as it was on the first morning either. The unevenness caused by the fact teams "take turns" to have a bat has always been part of crickets struggle with trying to work out how to have matches decided purely on who plays best, not who just has the best of the conditions.
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
A brand new day to either innings take away the ‘bat first to win’ thing, result relying more on toss. This actually could see winning of best team on more similar ’grounds’ then trying to avoid a deteriorating pitch.
Duncan Smith
Roar Guru
That's cricket. Weather, the toss, the state of the pitch ... these have always been part of the game. Unless you want to go to some kind of sanitised indoor cricket, that's just the way it is.
Warnie's Love Child
Guest
Thought so. Thanks.
Brian
Guest
Sure pitch conditions can change but that often happens during a day as well. Its part of the game. Starting again would not really be fair on India not just in terms of dominating but in terms of having to use the same bowlers to bowl 50 overs again. Also a whoel game would mean more chance for the rain to intervene again which would be unfair to New Zealand if today was washed after 50 overs because there isn't enough time. Continuing is definately the best option.
WithTheDawn
Roar Rookie
To be honest, I think starting again would have been the most unfair result, given India basically have a stranglehold on this game. There would have been more protests if it started again and NZ won surely. At least the game has been split into two chunks at nice watchable times of the night...
Jacko
Guest
I cannot agree with this rule....How is this possibly a fair decision? I will guarantee that if the pitch becomes a howler and NZ wins by bowling India out cheaply then their will be major protests.....Of course if the pitch is flat and India reach the target easy then no one will complain at all......I watched a game last night where the batting side really struggled on a pitch that was worse for batting than a day 1 test match...and that is why it had to be a complete new game tonight.....Fair to all is surely the best way forward......