Australia vs South Africa match abandoned due to rain, points shared

The much-anticipated Champions Trophy match between Australia and South Africa was abandoned on Tuesday due to relentless rain, leaving both Group B teams to share a point each. The weather conditions never improved, preventing even the toss from taking place.

Match officials kept an eye on the conditions, but with no signs of the rain relenting, they called off the game just over three hours after the scheduled start time. The cut-off time for play was set at 7:32 PM IST, but the decision to abandon the match was taken well in advance.

With this result, both teams now have three points each, having won their respective opening encounters. South Africa had defeated Afghanistan, while Australia had secured a win against England. The washout has now turned the upcoming England vs Afghanistan clash into a virtual knockout, with the losing team set to be eliminated from the tournament.

Meanwhile, hosts Pakistan and Bangladesh have already been knocked out of the competition following two consecutive losses each. This has left the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) concerned about maintaining local fan interest in the tournament, as Pakistan is hosting an ICC event for the first time in 29 years.

Australia’s history with abandoned matches in the Champions Trophy continues, as this marks their fourth no-result game in their last eight outings in the tournament. Their next fixture is against Afghanistan in Lahore on February 28, while South Africa will face England in Karachi the following day.