Former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif on Tuesday lashed out at the Pakistan Cricket Board, accusing them of utter management failure after the match between Australia and South Africa was washed out due to rain in Rawalpindi.
They had covered the strip because of rain, otherwise, the ground staff left the outfield exposed responding to the monsoon-the negligence caught Kaif’s eye, suggesting a mismanagement racket of financing given by ICC to PCB.
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“It’s a shame that the Rawalpindi ground isn’t fully covered. Such an important match – SA vs Aus – might go down the drain because no one addressed this issue,” Kaif wrote on x.
It's a shame that the Rawalpindi ground isn't fully covered. Such an important match – SA vs Aus – might go down the drain because no one addressed this issue. Was the ICC money utilised wisely by hosts? pic.twitter.com/nPwthd1fji
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) February 25, 2025
With either Australia or South Africa winning, both teams would have thus qualified for a place in the semifinals.
The match was called off at Rawalpindi on Tuesday, as rain played foul, forcing the two Group B heavyweights to share a point each.
The weather did not even allow for the toss to happen. The match officials called the match off a little over three hours after the scheduled start time, which was at 2:30 PM IST.
The cut-off for the match was around 8:05 PM IST, but the officials decided more than two hours before in order to ensure that even after waiting, nothing better could be expected from the weather.
As a result of Tuesday’s washout, Australia and South Africa now receive one point each, and hence the game to be played on Wednesday between England and Afghanistan has turned into a virtual knockout, with the loser becoming the third side to be eliminated from the Champions Trophy after Pakistan and Bangladesh.
After the opening matchday wins over England and Afghanistan, Australia and South Africa were the only two looking for points. This was Australia’s fourth abandoned match in their last eight outings in the tournament.
On February 28, India will play Afghanistan next on its tour of Lahore. On March 1, the Proteas will meet England in a venue in Karachi.
Two teams have already qualified from Group A: India and New Zealand, both with two wins out of two.
