No reserve day for T20 World Cup 2nd semifinal: ICC and CWI extend match time

The International Cricket Council (ICC) and Cricket West Indies (CWI) have allotted an additional 250 minutes to the second semifinal of the T20 World Cup to ensure the match concludes on the same day. Notably, there will be no reserve day for this crucial match.

Following a Cricbuzz report suggesting that the winner of the second semifinal might have to play the final the very next day, it has been clarified that measures have been taken to avoid such a scenario. The additional four hours granted to the match are designed to prevent the team from having to play, travel, and then play again on consecutive days.

To provide more context, the first semifinal is scheduled to take place in Trinidad on June 26, starting at 8:30 PM local time (6:00 AM IST the next day). The organizers have set aside a reserve day for this match, allowing it to continue into June 27 if rain disrupts play.

In contrast, the second semifinal in Guyana has different playing conditions. This match is set to start at 10:30 AM local time on June 27 (8:30 PM IST). Unlike the first semifinal, this game must be completed on the same day. The ICC's decision to allocate an additional 250 minutes means that match officials can wait up to eight hours to finish the match. June 28 will be a travel day, with the final scheduled for June 29.

"All four teams have exactly the same opportunity to finish a game. For performance reasons, to ensure teams do not have to 'play, travel, play' on consecutive days, the decision was taken to allocate the additional time for the second semifinal immediately post the game because the game is a 10:30 AM start, whilst the first semifinal is an evening start, which means it is not feasible to play all additional time on the same day. This also ensures that fans in the stadium have the best chance of seeing a result on the day," as per a source quoted by Cricbuzz.

India are expected to play the second semifinal in Guyana, with a start time of 8:30 PM IST tailor-made for the Indian fans.

Importantly, in the unlikely event of a washout, the match will not be rescheduled. Instead, the team that finished higher in the Super Eight stage will advance to the final.

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