Why does India vs England semi-final lack a reserve day while South Africa vs Afghanistan has one?

India will take on England in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2024 and the interesting bit is that the last four match which will take place at Guyana’s Providence Stadium will not have a reserve day. The first semi-final between South Africa and Afghanistan at Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, however, will have a reserve day.

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It’s baffling, right?

The reason why the first semi-final has a reserve day, while the other doesn’t is because the playing conditions are different for the matches.

The first semi-final (South Africa vs Afghanistan) will start at 8.30 PM local time on 26 June (6 AM IST in India on 27 June), while the second semi-final (India vs England) will start at 10.30 AM local time on 27 June (8 PM IST on 27 June in India).

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The final will start at 10.30 AM local time on 29 June which means the difference between the reserve day and the final will be less than 24 hours hence the second semi-final does not have a reserve day.

Despite not having a reserve day, there are extra provisions in place to help get a result in the match.

Both semi-finals have been given 250 minutes of additional time. But the first semi-final will have an extra 60 minutes on the scheduled day of the match, while an extra 190 minutes will be added on the reserve day, starting at 2 PM local time.

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In the case of the second semi-final, the whole 250 minutes of added time will be available on the scheduled day of the match as there is no reserve day.

More playing conditions: For a match to be completed in the semi-finals and final, both teams will have to bat a minimum of 10 overs per innings and not 5 overs per innings as was the case during group stage and Super 8s.

What happens if a semi-final is washed out?

If a semi-final is washed out then the team which finished higher in their respective Super Eight groups will reach the final. This means India and South Africa will proceed in case both semi-finals are washed out.

What happens if the final is washed out?

If the T20 World Cup 2024 final is washed out then both the finalists will be declared as joint winners.