Heavy rain in Rawalpindi delayed the toss for more than three hours before the fixture was called off. Just before the official announcement of the match abandonment, a picture shared by Kaif on social media showed that the outfield was not fully covered by the groundsmen. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
Baffled with the scenes at the venue, Kaif slammed the hosts for their use of ICC funds for the eight-team marquee tournament and called it a \"shame\".<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Taking to X, Kaif wrote, \"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?\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n
For the unversed, the renovation of stadiums in Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi was completed just days before the Champions Trophy despite multiple deadline extensions.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
This marks Pakistan's first time hosting an ICC event in 29 years, having last co-hosted the 1996 World Cup. Meanwhile, India are playing their matches in Dubai.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The conditions in Rawalpindi didn't improve even after more than three hours of the scheduled start and the officials took the ultimate decision to abandon the encounter. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
The first-ever encounter between the two sides in the tournament saw an unwanted end as both sides shared a point each due to no result. With this, South Africa stay atop the Group B with three points at a NRR of +2.140, while Australia are second with +0.475.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The first-ever encounter between the two sides in the tournament saw an unwanted end as both sides shared a point each due to no result. With this, South Africa stay atop the Group B with three points at a NRR of +2.140, while Australia are second with +0.475.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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