Rawalpindi: Pakistan and Bangladesh have ended their 2025 Champions Trophy campaigns without a win after their final Group A match was abandoned due to rain at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday. Both teams will now end with a point each due to the washout.
Both Bangladesh and Pakistan, the tournament hosts’ and defending champions, were already knocked out of the eight-team competition after India and New Zealand entered the semi-finals, making this clash a dead rubber.
Now with the rain leading to a washout, it has become the second game after the South Africa-Australia Group B match to be abandoned due to rain in Rawalpindi.
It has been drizzling in Rawalpindi for the last 24 hours, meaning that there was always a scare of a washout on Thursday’s game.
An official inspection time by on-field umpires Adrian Holdstock and Michael Gough was scheduled at 2:30 pm (IST), but rain coming back with a steady nature meant it never happened, and the toss was officially delayed.
But at 4:00 pm (IST), rain had the final say as the match was officially called off without a ball being bowled, with one point to be shared by both teams.
Pakistan and Bangladesh had come into Thursday’s match with a hope to sign off from the 2025 Champions Trophy on a positive note. Both teams had suffered defeats to New Zealand and India, respectively, where all three facets of their game didn’t click in a desired manner, though Bangladesh’s bowling line-up was better placed as compared to Pakistan.
It also means that Pakistan are making an early exit from an ICC tournament for the third straight time after 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup in India and 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies.
As far as the 2025 Champions Trophy is concerned, one match remains in Group A, with India and New Zealand facing off in a clash to decide the group toppers.
India and New Zealand will face off in their last group stage fixture at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
(IANS)
