South Africa secured the top spot in Group B of the Champions Trophy by defeating England, finishing with five points. They will face New Zealand in the second semi-final scheduled after India’s match against New Zealand on Sunday, which will determine the Group A leader. If India wins, they will play South Africa; if they lose, they will face South Africa, with Australia competing against New Zealand in the other semi-final. The scheduling has caused concerns as one team will have to travel back to Pakistan shortly after reaching Dubai, impacting their preparation time for the matches.
South Africa emerged as the leader of Group B in the ongoing Champions Trophy after securing a victory over England in their final league match in Karachi on Saturday. With five points from three matches, South Africa surpassed Australia, who finished with four points, to claim the top spot in Group B. In Group A, India and New Zealand are set to clash in a pivotal match in Dubai on Sunday. A win for India against New Zealand will place them at the top of Group A, leading to a semi-final showdown with Australia on Tuesday, March 4, at the Dubai International Stadium. In such a scenario, New Zealand will face South Africa in the second semi-final the following day.
Conversely, should India lose to New Zealand, the team led by Rohit Sharma would face Group B leaders South Africa on the same day. The other semi-final will feature an all Trans-Tasman battle between Australia and New Zealand in Lahore on Wednesday, March 5.
According to reports, the potential semi-finalists from Group B, Australia and South Africa, are scheduled to travel to the UAE on Saturday. Interestingly, one of these teams will return to Pakistan, while the other will remain in Dubai to compete against India on Tuesday.
The current scheduling ensures that India will play their semi-final in Dubai, irrespective of their opponent. Meanwhile, New Zealand, the other semi-finalist from Group A, will play their match in Lahore. The specific match-ups and venues for the Champions Trophy 2025 semi-finals will be confirmed following the conclusion of the India vs New Zealand match in Group A on Sunday.
An ICC official mentioned that this decision was made to provide the team playing the semi-final in Dubai on March 4 with ample time to prepare. However, it inadvertently creates a situation where one team ends up in the less favorable position of traveling from Pakistan to Dubai, only to return to Pakistan the next day, as reported by Cricinfo.
While the Lahore semi-final is set for one day later on March 5, the tournament scheduling means one team will have to adjust to a training location they do not need to be at for an entire day.
Another report from the BBC confirmed these developments.
The BBC stated, “Group B wraps up with South Africa’s match against England on Saturday, but neither the Proteas nor Australia will know their semi-final venue until after India’s match against New Zealand on Sunday.”
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