Manchester woke up to a cloudy sky on Wednesday, the reserve day on which the semifinal match between India and New Zealand is expected to resume from where it was left on Tuesday. Chances of rain interfering on the reserve day is highly likely as the weatherman predicted moderate and intermittent showers towards the noon and evening in Manchester on Wednesday. "Mostly cloudy with showers. Most showers will come during the afternoon," a local media reported. This means that, the match could be halted for about an hour after which it is expected to be restarted.
With enough sunshine for first half of the day and dry periods, the match is likely to begin at 10:30am BST itself. On Tuesday, the first semifinal of World Cup 2019 was halted at Old Trafford and reserved for Wednesday due to rain interruptions and a wet field.
READ: What will happen if India-NZ semifinal gets washed out
"The skies will be overcast with clouds throughout the day. Chances of precipitation range from 10-15 per cent during the day, up to 25 per cent by evening," The Weather Channe reported. The temperatures in Manchester are likely to be around 19°C at the start of play and may touch up to 21°C by the afternoon. The period from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm will be a crucial time to look out for rains, according to the UK Met office’s forecast.
also read
- ICC T20I Player Rankings 2025: Abhishek Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy and Deepti Sharma headline India's domination
- BCCI expands equal pay to domestic cricket; women and men cricketers to get the same match fees
- Shubman Gill's T20 World Cup 2026 exclusion: Was India's selection panel divided in their stance? EXPLAINED
- 2006 U19 World Cup, 2017 Champions Trophy and now 2025 U19 Asia Cup: Sarfaraz Ahmed repeats his magic in another India-Pakistan final
On Wednesday, the game will resume from where it was stopped on Tuesday. New Zealand, who have scored 211 at a loss of five wickets from 46.1 overs, will complete their 50-over innings before India begins their innings. Ross Taylor (67) and Tom Latham (3) are at crease when the players were forced off the field and the covers were rolled out.
The match can be shortened depending on the conditions on Wednesday. India have to bat for at least 20 overs for the match to be completed, according to ICC rules. If rain persists and the match is forced to be called off, India will progress to the final given their higher finishing position in the group stage.
