Pakistan’s disappointing run in the Champions Trophy continued as their match against Bangladesh was abandoned due to heavy rain on Thursday. This game was inconsequential as both teams were already out of the running for the next stage after losing their previous matches. Pakistan, hosting a major ICC event for the first time in almost three decades, aimed for a strong showing but concluded their tournament without a victory.
Continuous rain made the ground unplayable, with covers on the pitch and water accumulating around the field. As the weather didn’t improve, officials called off the match nearly two hours after the scheduled start. Not even the coin toss could take place due to the persistent rain.
Consequently, both teams received one point each, meaning both Pakistan and Bangladesh finished the tournament without a win.
This is the second game in Rawalpindi to be canceled without a ball bowled, following a similar washout earlier in the week between South Africa and Australia.
Local fans were frustrated by the rain cancellation as they were hoping to see some cricket at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
Pakistan has faced criticism for their poor performance in the tournament, having lost to New Zealand by 60 runs and to India by six wickets.
‘We wanted to perform well in front of our home crowd. Expectations were very high. We didn’t play well, and it’s disappointing for us,’ said Pakistan’s captain, Mohammad Rizwan.
Looking ahead, Rizwan commented, ‘You can learn from your mistakes. We’ve made mistakes in our recent games. We hope to learn from them.’
‘Next, we are going to New Zealand, and we hope to perform better there and learn from the mistakes we made against New Zealand here in Pakistan. We will aim to improve in New Zealand.’
‘We put too much pressure on ourselves playing against India’
Pakistan’s assistant coach, Azhar Mahmood, who is from Rawalpindi, suggested that the team’s poor showing was due to injuries to important players and the excessive pressure they took on when playing against India.
‘We haven’t played well in this tournament. We have played good cricket in this format previously, but in this tournament, things haven’t gone our way due to injuries. Against India, we added a lot of pressure on ourselves,’ he stated.
‘We know the areas where we need to improve. It’s about adjusting and taking responsibility. The results have also surprised us,’ he added.
The former all-rounder urged people to continue supporting the players.
‘We need to stick with the talented players we’ve identified to see them develop over time,’ Mahmood said.
Pakistan was weakened by injuries to two key players, Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub, which impacted their campaign.
‘The player who has been performing well in recent months in Australia, South Africa, Zimbabwe… the team was settled, and then suddenly when someone gets injured, the team balance is disrupted,’ Rizwan added.
‘As a captain, you consider that as well. On one hand, you can say the team is unsettled, but that’s not an excuse. Yes, Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub were injured, but we will learn from this,’ the captain concluded.
‘We are all very disappointed. We are here for our nation. Pakistan is our priority, and the expectations are very high. We are upset and acknowledge that we didn’t perform well. We hope to work harder and come back stronger,’ Rizwan added.
Bangladesh Has Much to Consider
Bangladesh, who also finished the tournament without a win, will return home with plenty to think about after losses to India by six wickets and New Zealand by five wickets.
‘I am very disappointed. We really wanted to play this game, but the weather was beyond our control. The way we competed for extended periods in the two matches was very encouraging for us,’ said Bangladesh captain, Najmul Hossain Shanto.
‘We hope we can learn from our mistakes. We will create a good plan and execute it.’ Speaking about their bowling attack, Shanto said: ‘We have historically struggled with our fast bowling, but in recent years, many fast bowlers are emerging.’
‘Some of the fast bowlers back home are performing very well. Players like Taskin, Rana are coming through. Fizz is there. We have a very capable bowling attack. I hope they will deliver and do their best for the team.’
