Guwahati/Navi Mumbai, Oct 27: With six matches in the group stage already abandoned due to persistent rain, concerns are growing over potential weather disruptions in the Women’s World Cup 2025 semi-finals.
Both knockout matches are scheduled later this week, and forecasts suggest that rain could play a major role in determining who reaches the final.
The first semifinal, between England and South Africa in Guwahati on October 29, appears less likely to be heavily impacted. The city has so far hosted three games in the tournament, all of which produced results. According to AccuWeather, the chance of rain during the match is around 25 percent, with humidity hovering at 63 percent — conditions that may allow for an uninterrupted contest.
However, the forecast for the second semifinal, between India and Australia at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on October 30, looks far more worrying. The venue saw the India-Bangladesh group game washed out on October 26, and the weather outlook remains bleak. AccuWeather predicts a 90 percent chance of rain and a 22 percent possibility of thunderstorms during match hours, raising the likelihood of another abandoned encounter.
To safeguard against weather disruptions, the ICC has allocated reserve days for both semi-finals — October 30 for the first and October 31 for the second. The playing conditions stipulate that “every effort will be made to complete the match on the scheduled day with any necessary reduction in overs.” If no result is possible, play will resume from the point it stopped on the reserve day.
The rules also clarify how over reductions will be handled. Should a 50-over match be interrupted and later resumed, any reduction in overs will carry over to the next day. However, if play is entirely washed out after overs are reduced, the match will restart as a full 50-over contest on the reserve day. A minimum of 20 overs per side is required to constitute a result.
If rain prevents play on both the scheduled and reserve days, the team finishing higher in the group stage standings will progress to the final — meaning England would advance from the first semi-final, and Australia from the second.
The final, slated for November 2 in Navi Mumbai, also has a reserve day on November 3. Current forecasts indicate scattered showers on the match day and intermittent rain on the following day. In the unlikely event that both days are washed out, the Women’s World Cup trophy will be shared between the two finalists. (Agencies)
