Rawalpindi (Web Desk): The Group B match between Australia and South Africa in Rawalpindi was called off on Tuesday, with the persistent rain rendering the pitch unplayable and preventing any action from taking place.
Despite both teams being raring to go, the conditions simply wouldn’t cooperate.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed that the points would be split between the two sides, leaving both teams with three points, as the scheduled match was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Umpires Chris Gaffaney and Richard Kettleborough initially held out hope as they conducted an inspection under light drizzle, postponing the toss, which was originally set for 1:30pm.
However, the downpour showed no signs of relenting, and with water collecting on the covers and the outfield still soggy, the decision was made to call the game off shortly after 5pm.
Some devoted fans, waving Australian and South African flags, waited eagerly for the action to unfold but were left disappointed, as the rain ensured there would be no cricket played.
South Africa now sit at the top of the group on net run rate, just ahead of Australia, after both teams won their opening encounters against Afghanistan and England respectively.
Meanwhile, the other Group B contenders, England and Afghanistan, will face off in Lahore on Wednesday.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals, and with both Australia and South Africa in the hunt, every point matters.
As for the rest of the tournament, India and New Zealand have already punched their tickets to the semi-finals from Group A, while defending champions Pakistan and Bangladesh have been knocked out, making the race for the final stages all the more intense.
