The Australia-South Africa match on Tuesday (February 25) in Rawalpindi was abandoned without a ball being bowled, resulting in the first washout of the 2025 Champions Trophy. The weather for the remainder of the group stage isn’t looking promising either.
Which games are remaining in Champions Trophy 2025 group stage?
Since India and New Zealand have already qualified for the semi-finals from Group A, the match between Pakistan and Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on February 27 will be inconsequential as far as the tournament is concerned. The India-New Zealand game in Dubai on March 2, however, would be crucial in determining the knockout line-ups.
The abandonment of Tuesday's Australia-South Africa fixture on the other hand has opened up Group B, with third-placed England and fourth-placed Afghanistan now standing in with a realistic chance to make it to the top four. That makes the remaining three encounters crucial for the determination of the semi-finalists from Group B. However, rain could play spoilsport in these matches.
With everything on the line, tomorrow’s England-Afghanistan fixture has turned into a virtual knockout.#SAvsAUS #ChampionsTrophy pic.twitter.com/v25ojcwSXw
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) February 25, 2025
| Feb 26 | Afghanistan v England | Lahore |
| Feb 27 | Pakistan v Bangladesh | Rawalpindi |
| Feb 28 | Afghanistan v Australia | Lahore |
| Mar 1 | South Africa v England | Karachi |
| Mar 2 | New Zealand v India | Dubai |
Weather predictions for remainder of Champions Trophy 2025 group stage
Lahore
According to Accuweather, there is a seven per cent chance of precipitation on the day of the Afghanistan-England match in Lahore on February 26. The weather for the Afghanistan-Australia match at the same venue on February 28 is gloomier, with the probability of rainfall as high as 85 per cent.
BBC Weather’s forecast is no different with a maximum of five per cent chance during the England-Afghanistan match, while thundershowers with chances of rainfall ranging between 26 and 70 per cent are predicted in Australia’s last group game against Afghanistan
Karachi
Thankfully, the South Africa-England match on March 1 poised to be a crucial encounter doesn't have a rain threat, with sunny weather predicted by BBC Weather and Accuweather.
Rawalpindi
The Pakistan-Bangladesh Group A encounter on February 27, though insignificant to the semi-final lineup, has occasional rain predicted in the afternoon, with probability as high as 75 percent on Accuweather. BBC Weather predicts the precipitation chances to be at 64 per cent at the start of the match at 2:00 pm local time before increasing to 70 per cent for the rest of the match.
Dubai
No rainfall is expected during the playing hours of the last group-stage match between India and New Zealand, as per BCC Weather.
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