Rain halted play in the 47th over in the World Cup 2019 semifinal between India and New Zealand at Old Trafford in Manchester.
New Zealand were 211/5 with Ross Taylor batting on 67* and Tom Latham on 3*.
Barring Yuzvendra Chahal, who was taken for 18 runs in the 44th over, all other bowlers have managed to keep the Kiwi batsmen on a tight leash. Colin de Grandhomme briefly threatened to break free with a quick-fire 16 runs, before he was dismissed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar with a slow bouncer.
After the initial wobble, captain Kane Williamson steadied the ship first with a 68-run partnership with opener Henry Nicholls, and then with a 65-run stand with Taylor.
Having won the toss under overcast conditions, Williamson decided to bat first. Of the five World Cup matches played here, all have been won by the teams batting first. The average first innings score at Old Trafford is 323. But the conditions are different today.
The semifinals have a reserve day but rains are predicted for both the days. With the rain not too heavy, hopes of a DLS-shortened match are still alive. There won't be any loss of overs if the match restarts in two hours.
If New Zealand don't bat again in this match, India's 20-over target would, as per ESPNcricinfo, be 148. And their DLS-target for 46 overs would be 237.
If the semifinal is washed out, despite the reserve day, the team ranked higher in the league stage—India, in this case—will go through.
