Lifted from amother website:
Weather
Uh oh. The weather across the weekend in Birmingham looks decidedly dodgy, meaning there could be a lot of waiting around for players, spectators and media alike.
On Saturday, the rain is expected to start falling mid-morning, with thunderstorms predicted around lunchtime. The inclement weather is expected to stick around for the rest of the day.
Conditions on Sunday, the designated reserve day, are better with the Met Office saying there is a 30 per cent chance of rain across the afternoon and evening.
What is a bowl-out?
In the event of inclement weather disrupting Finals Day, every effort will be made to ensure the three matches are decided on the field of play.
A technical committee will rule on the regulations around each of the matches "in the case of any match being delayed or interrupted". Their considerations will include:
- Ensuring that both semi-finals and the final are completed on the scheduled day (minimum overs to constitute a match is five per team).
- Delivering a 20-over per side floodlit final.
- Making sure wherever possible both semi-finals are of the same duration.
- Trying to guarantee that wherever possible, within each match, teams have the opportunity of batting for the same number of overs.
- Balancing the desire to achieve commercial objectives with the need to ensure matches of as long a duration as possible.
Play will be curtailed at 9.30pm on Saturday if it is deemed impossible to stage a final.
A reserve day (Sunday, July 16) can be triggered if any of the three matches cannot be played on Saturday.
If matches cannot, again, be staged on the outfield, umpires and the captains can agree on a bowl-out, likely to take place in the Edgbaston Cricket Centre, to achieve a result.
Five players from each county will bowl two consecutive deliveries each, with the side who strikes the stumps the most number of times being declared the winner. Sudden death will begin if the teams are level, when the order of the bowlers may change.
If a bowl-out is not possible in either semi-final then the result will be decided by a toss of a coin. The trophy is shared if the same occurs for the final.
