World Cup 2019: Manchester weather forecast for India vs New Zealand on Reserve Day (Wednesday)

What’s the story?

The weather forecast for Wednesday is a just touch more promising than Tuesday that washed out the semi-final between India and New Zealand. Consequently, the World Cup semi-final might veer towards a definitive conclusion come the reserve day.

In case you didn’t know...

The semi-final between the Indians and the Kiwis was marred by rain with only 46.1 overs of the first innings possible. At that juncture, the Black Caps found themselves at 211-5 with Ross Taylor and Tom Latham at the wicket. Though there were a few slightly sunny spells in between, the rain never relented enough to allow play.

The heart of the matter

The weather forecast for the reserve day is a shade more encouraging as a cloudy day with early morning rain is predicted. The game is expected to resume at 10:30 am BST and at that time, the chances of rain hover between the 37% and 47% mark. The figure increases to 51% at around noon but soon starts dropping down.

However, the percentage rises again around 4 pm and stays constant around the 40-50% range, indicating that there could be showers again. Yet, having said that, the overall forecast predicts that the chances of rain are slightly slimmer than what they were on Tuesday. Thus, one can hope for a 20-over Indian chase, at the very least.

Apart from the downpour forecast, the maximum temperature is predicted to be around 21 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature is expected to be around 14 degrees Celsius.

What’s next?

The Indians and the Black Caps were slated to finish their encounter on Tuesday with the winner advancing to the final on Sunday at Lord’s. However, courtesy the reserve day, both teams have a chance to take a shot at victory on Wednesday.

New Zealand will resume their innings at 211 for 5 at 10:30 am BST and will complete their innings first up, weather permitting. However, if rain again plays spoilsport, the Indians would be handed a DLS-adjusted target which they will have to chase down to seal their progress.

Follow Sportskeeda for all the updates on World Cup schedule, points table, news, World Cup most runs, live scores, most runs, most wickets and fantasy tips.