World Cup 2023: Who will lift the trophy if IND vs AUS final is completely washed out? Check ICC rules

India and Australia, the teams that started their ICC World Cup 2023 campaign by facing each other, will now complete this edition by playing the final on Sunday (19 November 2023). So far, in the marquee tournament, Team India has showcased incredible performances that resulted in zero defeats and 10 consecutive wins, including the semi-final victory against New Zealand on Wednesday. Whereas Australia that had a rough start facing two losses proved their worth afterwards by clinching seven wins in a row and the last win yesterday against South Africa in semi-final.  

After 20 years, both the teams will meet each other in an ODI World Cup final. In the 2003 ODI World Cup, India lost to the Ricky Ponting-led side then and ended up being the runners up. 

This time Australia will lock horns with the host India at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad in the nerve-racking final and hope to recreate the historical moment. 

Apart from the high level of excitement, fans might also be curious about weather conditions, specifically the possibility of rain playing spoilsport on Sunday. However, fans can relax as according to the meteorological department, the sky is going to be completely clear during the match. The maximum temperature is going to be 34 degrees and minimum 20 degrees. So, possibility of disruption due to rain is least expected in the final.

Still keeping the rain in mind, ICC has kept a reserve day for the World Cup final. If the match cannot be completed on the first day, it can be played on the second day. There is no problem of reduction of overs in the final match. Where the match is stopped on the first day, it is restarted from the same place on the second day.

But what if the match on both the first and the reserve day gets washed out due to rain, then which team lifts the trophy? 

In that case, the team which has secured a better position in the points table in the league stage is declared the winner. So, adhering to the rules,  India will hold the advantage as they finish with a higher net run rate than the Pat Cummins-led side. As a result, India will be declared the winner of ICC World Cup 2023 and register their third title in cricket history.