Rain played spoil-sport in the Champions Trophy 2025 on Tuesday forcing abandonment of the Group B fixture between Australia and South Africa without the toss as both teams had to be satisfied with a point each.
Rain persisted throughout the day and the conditions in Rawalpindi did not improve even after more than three hours of the scheduled start and the officials took the ultimate decision to abandon the encounter.
This would have been the first-ever encounter between the two sides in the tournament but produced an unwanted end. The winner of this match could have virtually sealed one of the two semifinal spots from the group.
But with both sides sharing a point each due to the no result, South Africa stay atop Group B with three points at an NRR of +2.140, while Australia are second with +0.475.
South Africa and Australia started their campaign on a winning note against Afghanistan and England respectively. A win in the clash would have bolstered their semis hopes in Group B. England and Afghanistan are the other two teams in the group, set to face off on Wednesday in Lahore.
Australia will next take on Afghanistan in the final Group B match on February 28 while South Africa will play England in their last game on March 1.
India and New Zealand have already secured their spots in the semi-finals from Group A. The semi-finals are scheduled for March 4 and 5.
In the changed scenarios, the Proteas will be best suited to progress with one game in hand. A 107-run thumping win over Afghanistan boosted their NRR to +2.140. If South Africa win against England in their final game, they will be through to the semis.
Even if they lose the game against England, South Africa can still progress if England doesn't finish with two wins from their remaining two games.
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma expressed his frustration with the result and said he would have loved to play the match against Australia on Tuesday.
It is frustrating. We would have loved to get in a game of cricket. You would have had two teams coming into the game high on confidence. You don’t really have to say much from a motivational point of view. You mention Australia, that gets the guys chomping (at the bit).
Australia, the two-time Champions Trophy winners, will also have their fate in their own hands. A win against Afghanistan in their final fixture will be enough for Australia to progress through to the semi-finals.
A defeat in their third game against Afghanistan will mean that Australia will have to rely on South Africa to beat England to progress.
As far as England are concerned, the road ahead for Jos Buttler and Co is that of a knockout tournament. Having lost their opening game against Australia, England will need to win both of their remaining games to have a shot at qualification.
The fate of all four teams in the group will hinge upon England's game against Afghanistan on Wednesday. If both Australia and South Africa lose their final group stage fixtures, the winner between England and Afghanistan will progress through to the semis.
First-timers Afghanistan face a difficult scenario as their big loss to the Proteas put them at the bottom of Group B. Facing England and Australia in their final two fixtures, the Hashmatullah Shahidi-led side will have to get the better of the two heavyweights to stand a chance at qualification.
These scenarios mean that each upcoming game in Group B of the Champions Trophy is potentially a knockout contest.
Australia captain Steve Smith said his team will now be gearing up for their must-win clash against Afghanistan in their final Group B game to confirm their qualification to the last four.
I did look on the weather (app) a couple of days ago and saw a few days of rain, but I didn’t expect it to be washed out. Not ideal, but can’t do much about it.
The equation’s pretty simple now. Onto the next one against Afghanistan. If we win, we’re locked. The equation’s pretty simple now. Onto the next one against Afghanistan. If we win, we’re locked in the top four. They’re a dangerous side on their day, like every team in this tournament. I think that’s the beauty of this tournament. With the eight best teams coming up against it, anyone can have a good day. Ends the top four. They’re a dangerous side on their day, like every team in this tournament. I think that’s the beauty of this tournament. With the eight best teams coming up against it, anyone can have a good day.
