The upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023’s second semifinal clash between South Africa and Australia at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens might face interference from rain on both Thursday and the designated ‘Reserve Day’ on Friday. Kolkata has experienced rainfall in recent days, and the Meteorological Department anticipates wet weather during the crucial match days.
In response to potential disruptions, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has introduced a ‘Reserve Day’ for all knockout matches in the World Cup 2023. If a minimum of 20 overs cannot be played on the scheduled match day, the ‘Reserve Day’ protocol will be activated. In such cases, the teams will resume play from where it was interrupted on the ‘Reserve Day.’ If no play is possible on the ‘Reserve Day’ either, and South Africa had finished higher than Australia in the league stage Points Table, South Africa will advance to the World Cup 2023 final to face Team India on Sunday.
The Meteorological Department forecasts a maximum temperature of approximately 29 degrees Celsius when captains Pat Cummins and Temba Bavuma go out for the toss around 1:30 pm IST on Thursday. The humidity is expected to be around 69%, with 100% cloud cover and a 25% chance of rain.
As Thursday evening approaches, the temperature will drop to about 24 degrees, but humidity will rise to around 84%, with 100% cloud cover over the ground and a 25% chance of rain. The weather outlook for the ‘Reserve Day’ on Friday appears even less favorable than Thursday, with a forecasted 75% chance of rain in Kolkata and approximately 14.8mm of rain predicted in the city.
Australia’s skipper, Pat Cummins, expressed in the pre-match press conference on Wednesday that the team is preparing for a full 50-over match on Thursday. Cummins acknowledged the unexpected weather conditions, stating, “It feels like it hasn’t really rained here for the last couple of months, so to see the weather looking like that for two days is not ideal.”
