Reserve day in cricket: what it is and when it is used

A reserve day is a spare day set aside in case rain stops a match from being finished on the day it was scheduled. It is used mostly for knockout matches and finals, where a washout would otherwise decide who goes through or who lifts the trophy.

It does not promise a result. The 2002 ICC Champions Trophy final between Sri Lanka and India was washed out on the scheduled day and again on the reserve day, and the two teams shared the trophy.

What is a reserve day in cricket?

The ICC’s Men’s ODI and T20I playing conditions (October 2026 editions) define a reserve day as “an additional day for the completion of the match”, where one has been scheduled. That last part matters. Under clause 13.6.1, an ODI is a match of one day’s scheduled duration, and the teams or organisers may agree to add a reserve day. In practice they are scheduled mostly for knockout matches and finals, though tournament organisers can add one for other matches too.

When is the reserve day used?

Only as a last resort. Clause 13.6.2 says that every effort is made to finish the match on the scheduled day, with overs reduced if needed, and Appendix G tells the umpires to use the available extra time “as if there was no Reserve Day available”.

So a rain break does not send a match to the reserve day by itself. If the teams can still play a shortened match on the scheduled day, they do, and the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method sets the target. The match moves to the reserve day only when the minimum needed for a result can no longer be bowled on the scheduled day:

• T20Is: each team must have had the chance to bat for at least five overs.
• ODIs: at least 20 overs must be bowled to the team batting second (clause 13.7.2.2.3), and a match in which both teams have not had the chance to bat for 20 overs is a No Result (clause 16.1.3).

For how the revised targets are worked out, see our guide to the DLS method.

Does the match restart or carry on?

It carries on. If the match has started, play on the reserve day begins “under the same assumption that the last ball was bowled on the scheduled day” (Appendix G). If the toss has taken place but no ball has been bowled, the result of the toss and the named teams are carried over to the reserve day. The hours of play on the reserve day are the same as on the scheduled day.

It has not always worked this way. In 2002 the Champions Trophy final was replayed from the start on the reserve day, which is why Sri Lanka batted first on both days.

Famous reserve days

Match	Dates	What happened
Champions Trophy final 2002, Sri Lanka v India, Colombo	29–30 Sep 2002	Sri Lanka made 244/5, then India were 14/0 after two overs when rain came. On the reserve day the match was replayed: Sri Lanka 222/7, India 38/1, washed out again. Trophy shared.
World Cup semi-final 2019, India v New Zealand, Old Trafford	9–10 Jul 2019	New Zealand were 211/5 after 46.1 overs when play stopped. They finished on 239/8 the next day, and India were all out for 221. New Zealand won by 18 runs.
World Test Championship final 2021, India v New Zealand, Southampton	18–23 Jun 2021	The first day was washed out, so the match went into its sixth, reserve day. New Zealand bowled India out for 170 that day and chased 139 to win by eight wickets.
Indian T20 League final 2023, Chennai v Gujarat, Ahmedabad	28–29 May 2023	No play on 28 May. On the reserve day Gujarat made 214/4, and Chennai were set 171 in 15 overs (DLS). Ravindra Jadeja hit a six and a four off the last two balls, and Chennai won by five wickets.
Asia Cup Super Four 2023, India v Pakistan, Colombo	10–11 Sep 2023	Rain stopped India’s innings on 10 September. They finished on 356/2 on the reserve day, with Virat Kohli 122*, and Kuldeep Yadav took 5/25 as Pakistan were all out for 128. India won by 228 runs.

India v Pakistan was the only Super Four match of the 2023 Asia Cup given a reserve day, and other teams criticised the decision. The 2002 final is also part of why India count three Champions Trophy titles.

Not every knockout gets a reserve day either. At the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup, the first semi-final and the final had one, but the second semi-final, India v England in Guyana, had 250 minutes of extra time on the day instead.

Reserve days in the Indian T20 League

The league sets its own playing conditions each season. The 2023 final shows how they work. It was the first final in the tournament’s history to go to a reserve day. On 28 May, the cut-off for a full 20-over match was 9:35 pm IST, and the latest start for a five-over-a-side match was 12:06 am. Rain did not stop until about 11 pm, and the officials judged that the outfield would need at least another hour, so play was called off and the final moved to Monday, 29 May.

Had there been no play on the reserve day as well, Gujarat would have been declared champions for finishing top of the league stage. In the end the match was played, and Chennai won their fifth title.

Reserve days in Test cricket

Ordinary Test matches do not have a reserve day. The World Test Championship final does: a sixth day is held back to make up time lost during the five scheduled days. It was needed in the first final in 2021, when New Zealand won on the sixth day. For what happens if the final is still drawn, see our WTC final draw explainer.

Photo credit: Alamy