England stand between India and another dance with destiny

There is an air of mystery surrounding the semifinal between India and England in Georgetown. Initially meant for Trinidad, the match was later relocated to Guyana for reasons known only to the decision-makers. Adding to the confusion is the lack of a reserve day for this match, unlike the first semifinal. "Two different playing conditions for the two different semifinals," as Mike Atherton says.

While some extra hours have been allocated to ensure the game gets an outcome, the weather remains unpredictable with forecasts indicating potential rain on the match day. There could be wait from 10.30 in the morning till about 6.30 in the evening and there may not be a game at all. That India may not mind that prospect is a different tale.

The greatest enigma, however, is the Providence Stadium pitch - will it play true or be unpredictable? A brief glance at the numbers reveals intriguing details: the highest PowerPlay run rate is 6.4, in the middle overs it drops to 5.5, and in the death overs, it peaks at 7.6. The boundary percentage stands at approximately 50 percent for the World Cup matches here - all numbers pointing to a low-scoring contest.

Notably, it was on this ground that Afghanistan sensationally