Pakistan’s Champions Trophy campaign ended without any redemption as their final Group Stage fixture was washed out due to persistent rain, leaving the hosts at the bottom of the Group A points table.
Coming into the contest with two losses each, Bangladesh and Pakistan were hoping to restore some national pride but failed to get a chance as the weather in Rawalpindi continued to present adverse conditions, preventing even the toss. The share of spoils means Pakistan exits the tournament without a win, the same as Bangladesh, but below the visitors due to their worse net run rate. Pakistan suffered a damaging loss to New Zealand in the tournament opener, which contributed massively to their NRR troubles, from which they never recovered. The washout in Rawalpindi also means that two of the three matches scheduled there have ended without a single ball being bowled. Australia and South Africa’s fixture suffered the same fate earlier.
With India and New Zealand still to play one final Group A fixture, here is how things stand at present:
Champions Trophy Group A Standings:
| Rank | Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | PT | NRR | Series Form | Next Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Zealand | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.863 | W, W | vs IND |
| 2 | India | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.647 | W, W | vs NZ |
| 3 | Bangladesh | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -0.443 | L, L, A | – |
| 4 | Pakistan | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1.087 | L, L, A | – |
While Pakistan’s position in the latest Champions Trophy points table does not make for pleasant reading, there is still a little intrigue left in Group A for the visitors. The winner of the New Zealand and India game will qualify as the group leaders, leading to a semifinal clash with the second-placed team from Group B. As the Champions Trophy slowly comes to an end, all eyes will now be on who plays whom in the coming days.
