Former India batter Mohammad Kaif attacked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for not covering the entire Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium during the rain-affected match between Australia and South Africa that got abandoned due to rain.
For the unversed, the ground staff at the Rawalpindi stadium only covered the center pitch and its adjoining areas when rain was pouring down on Tuesday. Kaif took notice of this and called out the PCB for not covering the entire ground.
The cricketer-turned-commentator questioned the hosts for not wisely utilising the funds given to them by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to renovate the stadiums in Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi ahead of the tournament.
Although, the rain never stopped and the match would have been called off anyway, Kaif did not spare the PCB and condemned the mismanagement on their part.
“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?” Kaif wrote on X.
Champions Trophy 2025 Semi-Finals Qualification Scenarios
From Group A, India and New Zealand have already booked their places in the semis. As for Group B, all four teams are still in contention.
England and Afghanistan would need to win both of their remaining matches. The two teams will play against one another in a must-win clash. Although both Australia and South can qualify even on three points, they would have to win another match to confirm their spots in the semi-finals.
Notably, hosts Pakistan have already been eliminated from the tournament after losing both of their initial games versus New Zealand and India respectively.
