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South Africa have a formidable team and beat Afghanistan with the ease in their opening group game. Australia had to work harder to beat England, chasing 352 on the back of a stunning century from Josh Inglis.
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Today’s winners won’t officially qualify for the semi-finals, but they become strong favourites to win the group – and potentially avoid India in the semis. The losers will be left needing to win their final game just to reach the last four.
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The match starts at 8pm AEDT, 9am GMT.
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Important Events
It's still raining in Rawalpindi. It's very light and frustrating, but the outfield is in good condition so the turnaround should be very fast if/when the rain stops.
Here's something to read while we wait. The Bogeyman is back.
The nature of the Champions Trophy – 4 two groups, Blink and you miss it – it's difficult to evaluate all permutations. My instinct is that today's washouts are slightly better for Australia than for South Africa. What this means is that the net run rate is unlikely to be a factor for those eligible for the semi-finals.
The toss should be happening right now. Should be. It's still raining, so there are days when it's late to start and perhaps very frustrating.
Prediction is not great, in fact Therefore, DLS can be a factor in this game. Anyone who wins a toss bowls first.
Australia does not have five World Cup-winning XIs in this tournament. But their alternatives, especially Matt Short, Alex Carey and Nathan Ellis, were key to their victory in England.
There are lots of clouds And most importantly, there is a bit of light rain at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium at the moment. The cover is on, but there is no word yet about the delay in starting. stay tuned!
preamble
Rob Smith
Hello, welcome to Australia vs South Africa Live Coverage in Rawalpindi. If these two old rivals don't bend their guns towards each other, the main tournament won't be completed. Australia has generally gotten better in South Africa when they won the World Cup semi-finals in 1999, 2007 and 2023, but South Africa is very close to the ghosts of the World Cup in the past I feel that way.
South Africa has a formidable team that has made the opening group game easier to beat Afghanistan. Australia had to work hard to beat England.
Today's winners will not officially qualify for the semi-finals, but they will become strong favorites to win the group and may avoid India in the semi-finals. The loser will remain necessary to win the final game to reach the final four.
The match starts at 8pm9am GMT.
