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[Watch] Rain Exposes Pakistan As Groundstaff Use Sponge To Dry Wet Outfield

Aashay Chopade

Pakistan Groundstaff trying to dry the ground (Source: @CricCrazyJohns/X.com)Pakistan Groundstaff trying to dry the ground (Source: @CricCrazyJohns/X.com)

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The 10th game of Champions Trophy 2025 between Australia and Afghanistan turned out to be an interesting game with lot of twists and turns. Afghanistan batted first after winning the toss and managed to score 273 runs. Australia replied positively, but in the 13th over, rain hampered proceedings around 7:30 PM IST and it continued for 40 minutes.

Poor Drainage Facility Abandons AUS vs AFG Champions Trophy Match

However, that spell of rain hurt the Gaddafi stadium badly and the big water puddles raised questions over the drainage system in the newly renovated ground. The groudstaff in return were working hard to get the match ready, and were seen using sponges to dry out the outfield. The manual working and desi methods to dry out the outfield showed that the stadium lack the required infrastructure and PCB are facing lot of criticism.

Talking about the match, Australia were in a strong position to win the game, and needed just 165 runs with nine wickets in hand. The situation was so bad that the match got called off at 9:20 PM IST due to poor outfield conditions, and Australia as a result qualified for the semis.

Both teams shared the points as a result of the washout and the 50-over World Champions became the first team to qualify for the semifinal from Group B. If South Africa win the game against England, they would join Australia. For Afghanistan to qualify, they need South Africa to lose by a heavy margin as it will then take them over the Proteas based on net run-rate.