England's loss to South Africa proved to be crucial as they were knocked out in the semi-final of the ICC Women's World T20 as rain forced the game in Sydney against India to be abandoned. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
New Delhi:
Even before the start of the semi-final on Thursday at the Sydney Cricket Ground, the forecast was ominous with rain threatening to wash out the entire match between India and England. In the end, the weather forecast was accurate. Persistent heavy rain since morning saw the India vs England semi-final clash at the Sydney Cricket Ground get abandoned due to rain. The result created history for Harmanpreet Kaur's India as they entered the final of the ICC Women's World T20 for the first time in history. This was because India had finished higher on the points table with England, having won all their four games while for England, their loss to South Africa proved to be very costly.
The second semi-final will see South Africa taking on Australia at the same venue and there is a high chance that rain might either wash the match out entirely or leave the possibility of a highly curtailed match. Should the second semi-final get abandoned, South Africa will join India in the final. The Proteas finished higher on the points table as they did not lose a single game while Australia will be reeling from their loss to India. Should South Africa progress to the final to meet India, it will be the first time in ICC Women's World T20 history that two new teams will battle it out for their maiden championship.
There was forecast that the weather could be ominous a couple of days before the start of the match. The washout has resulted in plenty of calls as to why there was no reserve day for the ICC Women's World T20 semi-final. If one contrasts it with the male, there was a reserve day in the semi-final of the ICC World Cup in 2019 in England. The clash between New Zealand and India went into the reserve day. Had the match been declared a no-result, India would have qualified for the final.
The Sydney Cricket Ground was lashed with heavy rain ever since morning. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Many observers have questioned the ICC as to not having a reserve day for the Women's World T20. While some might cite logistical issues and other factors related to the difficulty in relocation, broadcasting and ticket finances, it does not bode well for a marquee tournament to have one of the key knock-out matches abandoned in this way.
England skipper Heather Knight and India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur both expressed disappointment that the game could not be played. "Really frustrating. Not how we wanted the World Cup to finish for us. No reserve day, no chance of getting play, and ultimately that loss against South Africa cost us. It's all very English isn't it, talking about the weather and getting knocked out," Knight remarked.
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In response, Harmanpreet said, "Unfortunate we didn't get a game, but there are rules and we have to follow it. Having reserve days in the future will be a great idea. From day 1, we new we have to win all the games because in case the semis don't happen, that would be hard for us. In that sense, credit to the team for winning all the games," the Indian skipper said.
