Who qualifies for the finals of ODI World Cup 2023, if the IND vs NZ semi-final is washed out due to rain

After Pakistan’s loss against England at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, New Zealand’s way to the semi-finals has been cleared as they have finished at the 4th spot in the points table and are now officially qualified for the knockouts stage, where they will face India in the 1st semi-final of the ODI World Cup 2023 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. 

India has been the force to reckon with so far in the tournament by winning all 8 league matches they have played so far, comprehensively, barring the match they played against New Zealand at Dharamshala, where they were stretched by the Kiwis. 

India’s record against New Zealand at multi-nation tournaments hasn’t been convincing as the latter has emerged victorious over the former in crunch matches including the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final in England where India also dominated teams in Round Robin stage but eventually to the Black Caps in the semi-finals.

India and New Zealand will lock horns in the semi-finals at the iconic Wankhede Stadium and it’s expected to be a mouth-watering contest between two top teams. But what if rain plays a spoilsport as Mumbai is also known for its incessant rains? The rain threat is always a big one in a game like Cricket, therefore a reserve day is in place to make up for such threats.

But what if despite a reserve day, the minimum no. of overs required (20 overs of the second innings) to constitute a match is not completed? In such a case, out of both the teams, the team that finished at the top of the other one in the league stages will qualify for the finals. As the 1st semifinal is between the 1st and 4th teams of the points table, in case of a washout India will qualify for the finals.

What if the Australia vs South Africa semi-final is rained off?

South Africa will face the 5-times champion Australia at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. South Africa will look to avenge the heartbreaking loss they faced against the Aussies in the 1999 ODI World Cup semi-final in a tied match which became a folklore in cricketing history.

But there is a prediction of rain, in this match between the two teams. Although there is a reserve day in case the outcome of the match is decided by the contest between the bat and ball, South Africa will go through to the finals as they finished at the 2nd spot in the league stage whereas Australia finished at the 3rd.