The Australia-South Africa clash in the 2025 Champions Trophy has been abandoned due to persistent rain - when's the latest the game could have begun?
The persistent drizzle impacted the match from Group B which would have decided the team that moved closer to the semi-finals. The game, being held at Rawalpindi, was initially scheduled to begin at 2 pm local time. However, the toss, which was to be held at 1.30 pm, didn't happen as the game was abandoned at 5:10 pm local time, much before the actual cut-off time.
What happens in case of a delayed Champions Trophy game?
For a shortened Champions Trophy match to still have a result, the second batting team will need to bat out a minimum of 20 overs (unless a result is achieved before that). To determine the number of revised overs to be bowled in a shortened game, the calculations will be as below:
“When playing time has been lost the revised number of overs to be bowled in the match shall be based on a rate of 14.28 overs per hour, which is inclusive of the provision of drinks intervals, in the total remaining time available for play.”
The playing conditions further specify: “A fixed time will be specified for the commencement of the interval, and also the close of play for the match, by applying a rate of 14.28 overs per hour.”
The ICC also allows for a “maximum of 60 minutes of extra time allocated to all group matches” and 120 minutes of extra time for the knockout games in the ongoing Champions Trophy.
Also Read: What SA-AUS washout would mean for Group B's semi-final qualification chances
According to the above calculations, a full 100-over game should last seven hours, if 14.28 overs are bowled every hour. An additional hour will also be allowed for both teams along with a 30-minute interval between innings, which means on a normal day, play can go on till 10.30 pm local time.
To constitute a 20-over per-side game, the total playing time required will be two hours and 48 minutes, if 14.28 overs are bowled every hour. If a match can go on till 10.30 pm local time, the game should begin by 7.42 pm.
However, there should also be a time allocated for an innings break. The minimum length of an interval is 10 minutes - often left to the match referee's discretion - which means that the latest a Champions Trophy group stage match can start is by 7.32 pm local time in Pakistan (8:02 pm India time, 2:32 pm GMT).
As it turned out, the conditions in Rawalpindi were so bad that the Australia-South Africa clash was called off nearly 2.5 hours before the cut-off time, with both teams getting a point each.
However, it should be noted that the timings shift by an hour for matches in Dubai, which begin at 1 pm local time, meaning the cut-off for a 20-over group stage match would be 6:32 pm local time (7:02 pm India time, 1:32 pm GMT).
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