The Champions Trophy match between Australia and South Africa was called off on Tuesday due to persistent rain, leaving both teams with one point each in Group B. The weather conditions were so poor that even the toss couldn’t be completed, and after more than three hours of waiting, match officials decided to abandon the game. The scheduled cut-off time for the match was 7:32 pm, but with no improvement in sight, the decision was made well in advance.

As a result of the no-result, both South Africa and Australia now share a point, which has made Wednesday’s match between England and Afghanistan crucial. The loser of that game will become the third team to be eliminated from the tournament. On Monday, both Pakistan and Bangladesh were knocked out after suffering two consecutive defeats.

Both Australia and South Africa had won their opening matches against England and Afghanistan, respectively. This match abandonment marks Australia’s fourth in their last eight Champions Trophy outings. Australia’s next game is against Afghanistan in Lahore on February 28, while South Africa will take on England in Karachi the following day.

In Group A, India and New Zealand have already secured their spots in the semifinals, having won both of their matches. However, rain is expected to continue affecting the weather in Rawalpindi and Lahore, and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will be hoping it doesn’t disrupt the remaining games.

This tournament marks Pakistan’s first time hosting an ICC event in 29 years, but with the host nation already out of the semifinal race, the PCB faces the challenge of maintaining local fan interest in the competition.