South Africa vs Australia, World Cup 2023 Semi-Final: What Happens If Match Is Washed Out Due To Rain In Kolkata?

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South Africa and Australia set for their third ODI World Cup semi-final meeting when they clash in the second semi-final of the ICC World Cup 2023 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday (November 16).

Temba Bavuma's South Africa are fresh from their second-place sealing seventh win, while Pat Cummins' Australia head into the match on a seven-match winning streak with their last defeat coming against the Proteas.

While South Africa finished above their counterparts in the table, there will be memories from the 1999 and 2007 semi-final when they came up short against Australia. In 1999, they suffered heartbreak as they were knocked out due to inferior net run rate following a tie.

The Proteas will now look to do the double and get close to lifting their elusive World Cup trophy. But there is forecast for rain and thunderstorm in the next few days in Kolkata.

This inclement weather may lead to a truncated game, something what the South African team will not like, having lost one such contest earlier in the tournament to associate side Netherlands.

There is concern about rain having an effect on their semi-final meeting against Australia as the forecast says there is a little chance of rain interrupting play. So, what happens if there is any weather condition stops play?

With showers in some parts of the country, what happens in case rain or any other condition forces the abandonment of play? What is the minimum number of overs required to constitute a result? Here is a look at what could happen:

Is there any reserve day for the South Africa vs Australia semi-final match to be completed?

There is a reserve day for both the semi-finals and the final. So, in case there is any interruption forcing an abandonment in play on the scheduled day, the umpires can use the reserve day if result can't be obtained despite using extended window to complete the match.

In case, there is just a small interruption due to rain, the match will be completed by using the additional 2 hours without any overs being lost, but if the delay is for more than two hours, then the overs will be reduced with Duckworth-Lewis Stern (DLS) Method coming into play.

ICC playing conditions state that every effort will be made to complete the match on the scheduled day, and the use of the reserve day will come into play if there is no result possible (a minimum 20 overs per side match) on November 16.

When is the reserve day for SA vs AUS World Cup 2023 semifinal match?

The reserve day is usually the very next day after the originally scheduled match day. So, in this case, the reserve day will be on Friday (November 17) with the start time expected to be the same as the scheduled day of 2 PM IST.

How does the reserve day work?

The reserve day comes into the picture when no result was possible on the scheduled day. For example, if the 50 over per side match does not resume after a stoppage in play in the second innings, the match will resume from where it stopped on the reserve day.

Another instance is when a 50 over per side game is interrupted by rain and resumes after two hours with overs reduced, but rain once again results in no further play, then the match will be completed on the reserve day as a truncated match.

What if there is no play possible on the reserve day?

If both teams have not played the required 20 overs each to get a result even after the extended time and reserve day is used for completion of the match, the match will be considered a no result with the team finishing higher on the points table earning a spot in the final.

In semi-final 2, South Africa will go through as the second-placed team. should the match be abandoned without a result on the scheduled matchday (November 16) and the reserve day (November 17).