England call for reserve day for India semi-final as rain hangs over Guyana

Matthew Mott believes England’s semi-final should have a reserve day and the International Cricket Council needs to look into ensuring it is standard at future T20 World Cups.

Heavy rain fell in Guyana when England arrived on Tuesday and more is forecast for the daytime semi-final against India on Thursday. Whereas there is a reserve day in place for the first semi-final in Trinidad between South Africa and Afghanistan, the second in Guyana must be completed on the day.

If it is washed out, India will go through because they topped their Super Eights group while England finished second. Playing hours can be extended by an extra 250 minutes in the event of rain with a minimum of ten overs per team allowed to constitute a game.

“In an ideal world it would look like that (reserve day) but maybe that’s something the ICC need to look at long term,” said Mott, the England coach. “I’m not going to lie, it would be great to have a reserve day because the weather can change from day to day but I think there will be enough time to get some cricket in. Hopefully that comes our way.”

The tournament started on June 1 and two weeks were spent determining the first group phase but the knockout games are squeezed into four days with a tight turnaround before Saturday’s final the reason why there is no reserve day.

The organisers have taken a big gamble on the weather in Guyana at this time of year. There is an average of 303mm of rain in June with 22 wet days out of 30. The ground hosted five games in the first round but nothing since June 8, and the weather generally worsens as the month progresses.

England landed in Georgetown on Tuesday after spending 24 hours waiting to learn the venue for their semi-final. India had a clearer path with the playing regulation explicitly stating they would play a semi-final in Guyana if they qualified because its 10.30am start time suits Asian television schedules.

England have not played in Guyana for 14 years and only had one training session at the ground. They will have to gauge conditions very quickly against India which has not been their strength in an up-and-down World Cup campaign.

“We haven’t achieved anything yet in this World Cup but I like to think we have a really good challenge in front of us and one I’m excited about. Jos and I have a great combination going,” said Mott. “We will be judged at the end of the tournament but we are really excited about the challenge ahead. We have not had the dream run in yet but I would like to think we will put our best foot forward in this game.”

Guyana is normally a slow and low pitch, rather than one that spins prodigiously. Taking the pace off the ball will be vital and England are likely to be unchanged from the win over the United States. Mott admitted they will be leaning on the knowledge of assistant coach Kieron Pollard, who knows the Guyana venue well.

“He’s been an absolute find for us. One of the criticisms of the 50-over World Cup was we didn’t sum up the conditions as well as we could have. He’s been a font of knowledge, found a niche in our group,” said Mott. “He’s slipped in seamlessly, all the other coaches and players really set off him. He’s a guy who knows these conditions inside out and just been a real voice of reason at different times. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed his company and the way he thinks about the game. He’s just added a lot of value to our group.”