Rain played spoilsport and interrupted the World Cup 2019 semi-final match between India and New Zealand on Tuesday, 9th July, in Manchester, leaving the match to be continued on the reserve day, Wednesday, 10th July here.
On Tuesday, Indian bowlers dominated the Kiwi batsmen, but captain Kane Williamson and veteran batsman Ross Taylor kept New Zealand in the contest with their respective half-centuries and helped the side to reach 211/5 in 46.1 overs before rain interrupted the play in Manchester.
With the play to be resumed from 3 PM, former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum predicted that India could face a stiff target to chase if Virat Kohli and his team do get to play full 50 overs, as the forecast for the day is not that bright and the weather might once again play a spoilsport in Manchester.
McCullum also believes that the Black Caps needs to score 10 runs per over in remaining 3.5 overs to post 250 runs on the board to make their chances strong for the World Cup 2019 final, as that numbers could be certainly a stiff challenge for Men in Blue to chase in Manchester in such weather.
Taking to Twitter, McCullum wrote, “Around 250 would never be enough in a bilateral series between these two teams on this surface but in a World Cup semi-final....it may just be!”
Noteworthy, the weather is reported to be moderately cloudy in Manchester, but showers are expected during the day, which would be helpful for the seam and swing bowling -Trent Boult, Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson, to trouble the Indian batsman like they did in the warm-up fixture last month.
