What does the weather forecast look like for the second Women's World Cup semi-final between India and Australia?
The two teams come into the semi-final with contrasting fortunes. Australia won six of their seven group-stage games, with the other against Sri Lanka washed out. India, meanwhile, lost three on the bounce before qualifying; including one against Australia, which saw the seven-time world champions chase down a record score.
The winner of this game will take on South Africa in the summit clash. They qualified for their first ODI World Cup final (men’s or women’s) with a thumping win over England in Guwahati yesterday (October 29).
There is, however, the threat of rain looming over the second semi-final, which begins at 3pm local time in Navi Mumbai.
Also read: Women's World Cup: ICC's scheduling mess has turned step forward into damp squib
2nd Semi-Final, India Women vs Australia Women
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India vs Australia, Women’s World Cup semi-final: What is the weather forecast?
As of 10am local time, the rain was coming down hard in Navi Mumbai. In nearby Surat on India's west coast, several domestic matches have been impacted over the past week or so, including yesterday. Here's what the forecasts for the rest of the day look like.
Accuweather predicts a 16 per cent chance of rain around 12pm, which is not overly concerning, but a yellow alert has been issued for heavy rainfall. Chances of rain for the rest of the afternoon and evening hover around seven per cent. A washout appears unlikely, but an interrupted game could be on the table.
BBC Weather has a slightly more pessimistic forecast, with chances of rain around 27 per cent until 2:30pm, the scheduled toss time. It comes down as low as three per cent later in the afternoon, but back up to about 10 per cent around the midway point of the match, between 6:30 and 7:30pm.
Weather.com predicts the current spell of rain to end by 12:15pm. The chances come down to 24 and 19 per cent by 12:30 and 1:30pm, and then dip sharply to three per cent through the afternoon, a more promising sign for a full game taking place.
IND vs AUS, Women’s World Cup semi-final: What happens if the match is washed out?
There is a provision in the ICC's Playing Conditions for a reserve day, not specified in the same, but most likely tomorrow (October 31). In case a result is not possible even on the reserve day, the team that finished higher in the group stage will progress to the final; in this case Australia, who finished first while India finished fourth.
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