Soggy outfield and morning drizzle delayed the start of ICC World Cup 2019 encounter between India and New Zealand at Trent Bridge on Thursday.
A record three matches have already been either called off or abandoned in the rain-hit tournament with many questioning the absence of reserve days for group matches.
How the washout will effect India
If rain washes out India vs New Zealand match then it will affect India more than New Zealand. The Kiwis, with already three wins in three matches will take a major step towards ensuring semi-final qualification if they get a point against India. Three more wins in their next five matches will more or less guarantee them a top two finish.
India, the stronger of the two sides and in great rhythm, on the other hand, might rue a point lost if rain plays spoilsport on Thursday. India have beaten New Zealand six times in their last 7 encounters.
To add to that, New Zealand have managed to win just 1 of their last 5 ODIs at Trent Bridge, Nottingham which incidentally came against India in World Cup 1999. New Zealand’s Win % at this venue is just 28.57%. In fact, among the visiting teams, only Pakistan have lost more games at this venue than New Zealand.
India have also won four of their five previous encounter against the Kiwis, losing only one by 8 wickets in January 2019, in Hamilton. In ICC World Cup tournaments, the two teams have faced each other on seven occasions, and the Kiwis are in front with four wins.The two teams have clashed against each other at the World Cup three times and all of them have gone Blackcaps’ ways.
