Australia-South Africa slash washed out

Australia captain Steve Smith has revealed he was preparing to change up his XI in preparation for a T20-style battle in his team’s washed-out Champions Trophy clash with South Africa in Pakistan.

Tuesday’s match at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium was abandoned without a single ball being bowled due to persistent heavy rain.

Fans look at the big screen showing the message that the ICC Champions Trophy cricket match between Australia and South Africa is abandoned due to rain. Credit: AP

The umpires called off the contest almost four hours after the toss was meant to be held, with the glum forecast convincing them there was no hope of being able to complete the minimum 20 overs per side needed to constitute a match.

Aaron Hardie, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sean Abbott and Tanveer Sangha were the players left out of Australia’s five-wicket win over England to start the tournament.

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