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Rain threatens Women’s World Cup 2025 knockouts! Are reserve days available to avoid washout?

Akshita Patel

Rain threat looms over Women World Cup 2025 [Source: @NationwideRadio/X.com]Rain threat looms over Women World Cup 2025 [Source: @NationwideRadio/X.com]

The ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 has reached its most thrilling phase, which is the knockouts. But it's not only the players at the pressure.

With the semi-finals approaching, the weather forecast is leaving everyone apprehensive. Rain clouds are forming in both Guwahati and Navi Mumbai, leaving a big question mark of what if the matches get washed away.

Thankfully, the ICC has already planned for this. Both semi-finals and the final have reserve days, which act as a safety net if bad weather ruins the main match day. 

But how exactly does this system work, and what does it mean for India, Australia, England, and South Africa, the four teams still fighting for the trophy?

Everything you need to know about the reserve day rule 

The ICC’s rule is simple that every effort will be made to finish the game on the scheduled day itself, even if it means shortening the overs. If rain interrupts play, umpires will try to restart the game with a revised number of overs per side.

If play cannot resume at all, or if the game remains incomplete, then it continues the next day (the reserve day) from where it stopped.

For instance, if the game starts as a complete 50-over affair but is interrupted by rain before the shortened-overs phase begins, then play will resume as a complete 50-over affair on the reserve day.

But if the game had already started in a reduced-overs format (say 46 overs per side) before rain stopped play again, it would resume from that point the next day and not start fresh.

What happens if the rain doesn’t stop?

If rain refuses to go away on both days, the ICC will use the points table to decide who moves ahead. That means the higher-ranked team at the end of the league stage will qualify for the final.

In this case, Australia (1st place) and England (2nd place) would advance if their respective semi-finals are completely washed out. 

If the final itself cannot be played even after the reserve day, the trophy will be shared between the two finalists.