Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif was critical of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after the highly anticipated fixture of the 2025 Champions Trophy between South Africa and Afghanistan was washed out due to rain at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

Just 24 hours after the ground hosted a fixture between New Zealand and Bangladesh, even the toss was not possible in the match. Around 5:15 PM local time (5:45 PM IST), the match officials decided to abandon the game with both teams sharing a point.

Even though the rain was relentless and did not stop at any point during the afternoon for the ground staff to prepare the ground for action, Kaif questioned the PCB as the covers were not used on the entire outfield. He further accused the Pakistan cricket governing body of not using the International Cricket Council (ICC) funds properly, which a host nation is provided.

"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?," wrote Kaif on X.

This is the first match in the ongoing tournament that has been affected so far. Before today's game, all six matches saw no interruption and saw a result without any overs being lost.

Also Read: Explained: What Does South Africa-Australia Washout Mean For Both Teams, England, And Afghanistan's SF Hopes

The 2025 Champions Trophy is being hosted by Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in four venues. Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi are hosting matches in Pakistan. Meanwhile, Dubai is hosting all matches of the Indian team as well as the first semi-final.

Rawalpindi will host just one more match which will take place between hosts Pakistan and Bangladesh on Thursday (February 27). However, the match is a dead rubber as both teams are out of contention. There is rain predicted during the match too.

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