Pakistan hosting the ICC Champions Trophy has been controversial, but now it’s getting worse, with three out of 10 matches washed out due to rain. On Friday, at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, the Australian cricket team secured their spot in the semi-finals after their match was abandoned against Afghanistan. Out of the three matches, Australia have only played one against England and guaranteed their spot in the semis, as the other two matches, one against South Africa and the other against Afghanistan, were abandoned due to rain, this gave them the crucial 4 points to move forward. Now, cricket pundits are bashing Pakistan for the poor arrangements to fight rain and keep the grounds dry.
Sanjay Banger slams Pakistan cricket
During the Afghanistan vs Australia match, former India cricketer Sanjay Bangar slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board. Heavy rain drenched the entire stadium, and due to a weak drainage system, a considerable amount of water pooled on the outfield. Additionally, the ground staff was late in covering the area, worsening the conditions at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. “Poor planning and executing of organisers. They should have covered the entire ground or move the match to other venue.” said Banger.
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Trouble depeens for Afghanistan
With the match getting abandoned, now Afghanistan have to hope for the miracle. Afghanistan had a great campaign. After losing to South Africa, the team bounced back and defeated England to stay alive in the tournament. They need to beat Australia to assure their place in the semis. however, now with only 3 points, they need to hope for England to beat South Africa by more than 200 runs, to get a qualification for the semifinals. This seems unfair to the teams coming and preparing for months to play the Champions Trophy just to see their hopes getting shattered by poor grounds and infrastructure in the ICC events.
