Klaasen brushes off S Africa travel woes ahead of semi-final

South Africa should have no ill effects from their whistlestop and, in the end, pointless 18-hour trip to Dubai as they prepare to face New Zealand in Lahore in Wednesday’s second semi-final of the Champions Trophy, according to batter Heinrich Klaasen.

South Africa and Australia both flew to the United Arab Emirates as they awaited the result of the final Group A game between India and New Zealand on Sunday, necessitated given the tight turnaround ahead of Tuesday’s first semi-final in Dubai.

With India victorious and topping their pool, only Group B runners-up Australia stayed on to face the sub-continent side.

India will not play any Champions Trophy fixtures in Pakistan due to political tensions between the two neighbours.

South Africa returned almost immediately to Pakistan, but Klaasen does not expect their wasted trip to have any lasting effect on the players.

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“It was not ideal for the bodies, but we had some time to get out and walk about. We knew ahead of time that two teams were going to have to travel,” he told reporters on Monday.

“We haven’t travelled a lot in this competition to be fair, it was just a crazy 18 hours. We could stretch our legs and recover before we had to come back. It is part of professional cricket these days. There is not much more to say about it.”

If South Africa beat New Zealand to reach Sunday’s decider, they will at least know by then if they will take on India in Dubai, or Australia in Lahore.

“To win this tournament we will have to beat two very good teams,” Klaasen said. “The conditions in Pakistan are good to bat on so the bowlers have a harder job. In Dubai the wicket is slower.

“It is quite chilly (in Lahore) so I think the ball will swing a little bit more. It is good skill that needs to be applied. But Pakistan is a nice place to bat.”

South Africa reached the semi-finals of the last 50-over World Cup in 2023, and the final of the Twenty20 World Cup last year. They will carry those experiences with them, according to Klaasen.

“The nerves are a little bit less because we have more experience in the semi-final department,” he said. “We are playing good cricket at ICC events, we have just had some bad luck and things not go our way.

“We are holding our composure in the bigger moments. The big boys just need to step up on Wednesday.”