A funny incident from the Afghanistan vs Australia Champions Trophy 2025 match is going viral on social media. Rain affected the contest at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Friday and it eventually forced the umpires to call off the match. It rained for around half an hour but even after more than one hour of effort from the ground staff post that, it was not possible to clear water completely from the ground. The staff even tried to mop the ground and used sponges, but failed to make the ground ready for the match. While mopping the ground, one of the ground-staff slipped and fell abruptly, leaving the Australian dressing room and commentators in splits.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!As the Indian broadcaster JioStar showed the visuals, former India cricketer Abhimanyu Mukund, who was on-air, joked about it and said, “I have seen this sport. I think it’s curling.” To this, another ex-India player Sanjay Manjrekar, who was with him during commentary, added, “Along with curling, what we are also seeing is falling.”
The cameras also panned towards the Australian dressing room right after the incident as some players in the dugout also looked bemused.
Watch it here:
How Pakistan clears water from ground. pic.twitter.com/X3SqFAXIJi
— AKTK (@AKTKbasics) February 28, 2025
Australia entered the semifinals of the Champions Trophy after their crucial Group B clash against Afghanistan was called off due to rain in Lahore on Friday.
The match was halted by a downpour when Australia were 109 for 1 in 12.5 overs, chasing a target of 274. Despite the ground staffs’ efforts to clear the field, several pools of water remained on the pitch and the umpires ultimately declared the match abandoned after an inspection. The interruption came just an hour before the cut-off time for completing the match.
With the game called off, Australia advanced to the semifinals with four points. Their last match against South Africa in Rawalpindi was also abandoned.
At the time of interruption, Travis Head was in superb form, having scored 59 runs off 40 balls, including nine fours and one six.
His knock came after a lucky reprieve when Rashid Khan dropped him on six, diving at mid-on off Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Head capitalised on this opportunity and dominated the Afghanistan bowlers, particularly taking 28 runs off Farooqi’s 17 balls.
Skipper Steve Smith was at the other end, playing a more measured knock with 19 not out from 22 balls, including two boundaries.
With no result from this match, Afghanistan’s chances are slim and would depend on the result of Saturday’s match between South Africa and England.
If South Africa win, they will top the group with five points.
If England emerges victorious, South Africa and Afghanistan will both finish on three points, leading to a net run-rate (NRR) calculation.
Afghanistan’s current NRR of -0.99 would almost certainly eliminate them unless South Africa loses by a margin of over 200 runs.
Earlier in the day, Afghanistan posted a competitive total of 273, largely due to Sediqullah Atal’s gritty 85 and Azmatullah Omarzai’s explosive 67.
(With PTI Inputs)
from: NDTV Sports-Latest