Pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were at their stunning best in the initial overs during India’s ICC World Cup 2019 semi-final against New Zealand at the iconic Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester on Tuesday. The duo stifled the Kiwi top-order in the opening stages of the innings and that resulted in the 2015 finalists setting an unwanted record in the tournament.
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New Zealand could muster only 27/1 in 10 overs and this was the lowest score by any team in the tournament in the first powerplay. This score by the Black Caps was one run short of India’s total against England in the group stage. Including Hardik Pandya’s 10th over, Indian bowlers bowled 43 dots in the first 10 overs and that helped in stifling the batsmen.
New Zealand reached 211-5 off 46.1 overs before rain stopped play in Manchester. Ross Taylor was 67 not out and Tom Latham three not out when persistent rain worsened sufficiently for the umpires to take the players off the field with 23 balls of the scheduled 50 overs in the innings left.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson had earlier made 67 after winning the toss, with Jasprit Bumrah (1-25 off eight overs) leading a disciplined India bowling attack. There are an additional two hours’ playing time in which to complete the match on Tuesday and a reserve day has also been scheduled for Wednesday.
But the reserve day will only come into operation if the minimum 20 overs-per-side match needed for a result under the Duckworth-Lewis method for rain-affected games cannot be finished on Tuesday. In that case, the match would continue Wednesday from where it left off rather than be re-started.
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But if a 20 overs per side match cannot be completed on Wednesday as well, India would go through to Sunday’s final at Lord’s on the basis of having finished first to New Zealand’s fourth in the 10-team group stage.
((With agency inputs))