Kolkata weather forecast: Will rain hamper AUS vs SA World Cup semi-final?

Cricket World Cup 2023, South Africa vs Australia weather forecast Kolkata: The 2nd semi-final at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata may be affected by rain today & can be shifted to a reserve day on Friday

South Africa and Australia will lock horns in the second semifinal of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 today at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, with rain forecast in the city could force a curtailed game.

There are chances of rain in Kolkata on Thursday, as the city has witnessed rain over the last few days. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the maximum temperature will be around 29 degrees Celsius when Australian skipper Pat Cummins and South African captain Temba Bavuma head out for a toss at 1:30 pm on Thursday.

Check South Africa vs Australia live score and match updates in ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 semifinal here

Check South Africa vs Australia live full scored in ICC World Cup 2023 semifinal here

 

During the South Africa-Australia semi-final match, the humidity will be around 69 per cent, with 100 per cent cloud cover and at least 25 per cent chance of rain, the IMD stated.

Navdeep Dahiya, a weather communicator, tweeted on X (formerly Twitter): Second semis at Kolkata between AUS vs SA likely to be rain impacted. A deep depression in the Bay of Bengal is inching closer to the west Bengal coast, cloud cover will be there across the day, with drizzles starting anytime after 1 or 2 PM, chances of light to moderate showers between 4 to 6 pm and then reducing back to the probability of drizzles in the night."
 

Second semis at #Kolkata between #AUSvsSA likely to be rain impacted ????
A deep depression in the bay of bengal is inching closer to the west Bengal coast, cloud cover will be there across the day with drizzles starting anytime after 1/2PM in the afternoon, chances of light to… pic.twitter.com/DV0hhyloz2

— Weatherman Navdeep Dahiya (@navdeepdahiya55) November 16, 2023

So what happens if rain affects the game today?

A reserve day is in place; if the match isn't complete today, it will be shifted to Friday. However, there is a chance of rain on Friday as well.

Kolkata weather forecast on November 17 (Friday)

Navdeep wrote on social media platform X: High chances of reduced over a match or shifting to a reserve day. Also note that reserve day tomorrow has rain predictions as well. First match of CWC23 with major weather risk."

What is ICC rules for reserve day in ICC Cricket World Cup 2023?

If the Australia vs South Africa semi-final match is hit by rain on Thursday, the match would then be shifted to a "reserve day" on Friday.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the provision of a "Reserve day" for all the knockout matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. The "Reserve day" rules will kick in if a minimum of 20 overs are not played on Thursday.

However, the IMD has predicted rain on Friday as well. If the Australia-South Africa semi-final match is not possible on the "Reserve day" as well, then South Africa will join Team India in the ICC Men's World Cup 2023 final on November 19 since they finished above Australia in the league stage points table.

According to the points table, South Africa has 14 points with a net run rate of +1.261, while Australia has 14 points with a net run rate of +0.841.

What is net run rate (NRR)?

Net run rate (NRR) is a statistical method for analysing a team's cricket performance. The NRR in a single game is the average runs per over that a team scores minus the intermediate runs per over that is scored against them. The NRR in a tournament is the average runs per over that a team scores across the entire game minus the intermediate runs per over that is scored against them in the whole tournament.