ICC Grants Additional Time For T20 World Cup Semifinal, Extending Match Duration To Eight Hours: Reports
The ICC and Cricket West Indies have reportedly extended the duration of the second semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and USA by more than four hours. The tournament is scheduled to begin on June 1, with the final set for June 29.
As per a report, the ICC and CWI have allocated an extra 250 minutes for the second semifinal taking place on June 27 in Guyana. Additionally, there won't be a reserve day for this match, a decision made to prevent scheduling conflicts.
The first semifinal is scheduled to commence at 8:30 PM local time on June 26 in Trinidad, while the second semifinal will occur a day later, starting at 10:30 AM local time on June 27. Should rain interfere with the second semifinal, there won't be a reserve day on June 28. Instead, an extra 250 minutes have been allocated for the game, allowing for a potential extension of up to eight hours.
Extending the first knockout game by four hours could be difficult given its evening schedule, as there's limited time available before the day ends. In contrast, the second knockout game, being a day match, offers the flexibility to finish the game on the same day in case of rain interruptions.
The decision to extend the second semifinal aims to alleviate travel time and reduce the strain on teams, especially considering the potential back-to-back matches and travel involved. This adjustment is particularly crucial given the importance of the upcoming clash for the winning team. If India advances to the second semifinal, they will be among the teams affected by this scheduling consideration.
According to a source, all four teams in the T20 World Cup have equal opportunities to complete a game. To prevent teams from having to undergo consecutive days of "play, travel, play," an extra time allocation was provided for the second semifinal. This decision was influenced by the fact that the second semifinal begins at 10:30 AM, making it feasible to extend play on the same day. Conversely, the evening start time of the first semifinal makes it impractical to accommodate all additional time on the same day. This adjustment also aims to ensure that fans at the stadium have the best chance of witnessing a conclusive result on the day of the match.
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