The tournament’s scheduling challenges, particularly towards the end of the group stage, led South Africa and Australia to travel to Dubai, knowing that one team would have to return to Pakistan after India’s final group match against New Zealand on Sunday.
India’s victory against New Zealand by 44 runs meant Australia remained in Dubai for the semi-final, which they subsequently lost on Tuesday. Meanwhile, South Africa returned to Pakistan, with Heinrich Klaasen commenting that the brief trip to Dubai was “not ideal.”
It’s been nearly a month since New Zealand arrived in Pakistan, where they hold fond memories of Gaddafi Stadium after defeating both South Africa and Pakistan in a tri-nation series before the Champions Trophy.
New Zealand are well-acquainted with the slower pitches in Lahore, which may not spin as much as those in Dubai, as evidenced by Glenn Phillips and Kane Williamson each scoring centuries in two high-scoring warm-up matches.
However, they’ll need to be cautious of South Africa’s strong bowling lineup, as Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, who missed the tri-series, can pose a significant challenge on any surface.
New Zealand achieved two decisive victories against the host nation in Karachi and Bangladesh in Rawalpindi, clearly excelling in batting, bowling, and fielding. Nonetheless, their batters showed some vulnerability against spin, losing nine wickets to Indian slow bowlers on Sunday.
South Africa easily defeated both Afghanistan and a struggling England in the group stage, but their critical match against Australia was washed out in Rawalpindi, leaving them to secure enough points to top the group.
Like New Zealand, South Africa’s top-order batters are in great form. Opening batter Ryan Rickelton scored his first ODI century against Afghanistan, while Klaasen made a strong return from injury with a quick half-century against England.
The Proteas are aiming to advance further in this ICC tournament—this will be their third consecutive knockout match—after falling to India in the T20 World Cup final last year in the Caribbean.
