Cricket World Cup 2019 weather: How Australia could defeat England without even bowling a ball in semi-final

The forecast for Thursday's match at Edgbaston looks ominous

England’s hopes of home soil World Cup glory could be dashed by rain at Edgbaston on Thursday and hand victory to Australia in the semi-final without a single ball being bowled.

Frequent showers are forecasted on Thursday morning as well as the reserve day on Friday. If the match is not able to be completed on either day, tournament rules mean that the team – Australia – which finished highest in the group stage progresses to the final.

Australia finished second in the group behind India, while England finished in third.

Seven of the 45 matches during the group stage were affected by the weather. Three were decided by Duckworth-Lewis-Stern Method, one game was left unfinished and three were abandoned entirely.

Both sides must bat for a minimum of 20 overs each in order for a result to stand.

However, if the final and its reserve day are both washed out, the trophy will be shared between the two teams.

Ticket holders will receive a full refund if they see less than 15 overs on the day. If between 15 and 30 overs are completed, ticket holders will receive a 50 per cent refund.

You can view Thursday's latest forecast here.