T20 World Cup: Will rain play spoilsport in India-England semi-final?
What's the story
The second semi-final between India and England in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2022 might see rain making an unwanted appearance. The high-voltage contest will take place at the Adelaide Oval on November 10. Notably, wind has been blowing at a high speed around the venue, and there are nearly 20% chances of rain. Here are further updates.
Context
Why does this story matter?
India finished atop the Group 2 team standings, having won four of their five league-stage games. England, on the other hand, finished second in Group 1 with three wins, one defeat, and an abandoned game under their belt. The winner of the second semi-final would meet Pakistan in the summit clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on November 13.
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What does the forecast say?
"Partly cloudy. Slight (20%) chance of a shower. The chance of a thunderstorm this morning. Winds west to northwesterly 15 to 20 km/h turning southwesterly 15 to 25 km/h in the late afternoon," reads the forecast as per Australia's Bureau of Meteorology.
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What if the game gets washed out?
A reserve day is in place on Friday if the second semi-final gets washed out on Thursday. If no play is possible on Friday as well, India will advance to the finals by virtue of finishing higher in the league stage.
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England's misfortune in 2020 Women's T20 WC
Notably, the India vs England semi-final clash in the 2020 Women's T20 World Cup got washed out without a ball being bowled. As India Women did better in the league stage, they qualified for the final.
Match details
Pitch report, timing, and broadcast details
Sides batting first have won seven of 14 T20Is at the Adelaide Oval. The venue has produced plenty of nail-biting thrillers in the tourney underway, and anything around 155-165 could be a competitive total. Both pacers and spinners could be influential. The match will be telecast live on Star Sports Network (1:30 PM IST) and live-streamed on the Hotstar app.
Injuries
Injury concerns in England camp
Mark Wood and Dawid Malan are doubtful starters for the all-important match. Malan suffered a groin injury during England's last league game against Sri Lanka. He could not even bat in the contest. Meanwhile, Wood took limited part in training after reporting general body stiffness. Phil Salt and Chris Jordan might be included in the playing XI if the duo misses out.
Probable XI
A look at the Probable XI of both sides
India (Probable XI): KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma (captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant/Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh. England (Probable XI): Alex Hales, Jos Buttler (captain and wicket-keeper), Dawid Malan/ Phil Salt, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood/Chris Jordan.