CT 2017: What if the semi-finals get washed out

The league stage of the Champions Trophy 2017 came to an end with England, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh qualifying to the semi-finals which will be played following a day’s break after 12 continuous days of action packed group stage games which were hit by the rain on numerous occasions including multiple washouts.

Semi Final fixtures:

SF 1 – England (Group A topper) vs Pakistan (Group B runner) at Cardiff on June 14th, 2017

SF 2 – India (Group B topper) vs Bangladesh (Group A runner) at Edgbaston on June 15th, 2017

The rules for the semi-finals will be same as the previous Champions Trophy editions as in the case of the match ending in a tie, the teams will be contesting in a Super Over. However, Super Over has never been played in ODI cricket so far and will be the first time if any of the knockout game ends in a tie.

Given how the weather fared in the Champions Trophy and how unpredictable the England climate can be, there are quite a few chances of the semi-finals ending in a washout and these games do not have a reserve day to continue and the game could well spoil up the things in these knockout matches. In that case, the team ending as the topper in their group moves forward.

In the semi-final 1 – England will be going to final in case of a washout as they were the Group A topper and Pakistan ended Group B as the no.2 team. While in the semi-final 2 – India, the Group B topper will face Bangladesh and in the case of a washout, the Men in Blue will go through. This case applies to the tied semi-finals as well where the Super Over can’t be contested due to the weather restrictions.

The weather forecast of Cardiff, the venue for the first semi-final doesn’t seem to affect the game but the Birmingham forecast, though doesn’t give any warnings can affect the 2nd semi-final big time as it did in the all the 4 games it has hosted in this tournament.