“Pathetic Drainage System”: Pakistan Slammed After Afghanistan vs Australia Champions Trophy 2025 Game Washout
News Mania Desk / Piyal Chatterjee / 29th February 2025
A deficient drainage system at Pakistan’s Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore caused the Afghanistan vs Australia 2025 Champions Trophy match to be canceled due to rain on Friday. Rain began to fall during Australia’s pursuit at the location and persisted for approximately 30 minutes. Even that turned out to be overwhelming for the ground’s inadequate drainage system, as the match had to be canceled after waiting for over an hour. The ground team put in considerable effort but could not maintain the umpires’ optimism regarding the safe resumption of play. They even employed mops and sponges, yet the surface remained quite wet after an hour of effort from the ground crew.
It was expected that fans on social media criticized hosts Pakistan for the inadequate drainage system at the venue. Significantly, this was the third game out of 10 that was canceled because of rain during the current tournament.
Australia advanced to the semi-finals of the 2025 Champions Trophy after their final Group B game against Afghanistan in Lahore was cancelled due to rain.
Rain began to fall during Australia’s pursuit, and when it eventually ceased, the ground became so soaked that the staff couldn’t maintain the umpires’ optimism. The draw resulted in Steve Smith and his team earning points with Afghanistan, bringing their total to four and advancing them to the next stage. Conversely, Afghanistan only has a slim opportunity. They will need England to win against South Africa by a large margin to reach the semi-finals.
Before the rain arrived, Travis Head had scored a quickfire fifty (59 not out off 40) as Australia reached 109 for 1 in 12.5 overs in their chase of 274. Earlier, Sediqullah Atal (85) and Azmatullah Omarzai (67) scored fighting fifties as Afghanistan posted 273 all-out in 50 overs after opting to bat first. Ben Dwarshuis picked three wickets for 47 runs while Spencer Johnson and Adam Zampa also accounted for two wickets each.
