Champions Trophy: Australia, South Africa to travel amid scheduling complexities
What's the story
The 2025 ICC Champions Trophy semi-final schedule forces Group B teams, likely Australia and South Africa, to travel to the UAE on Saturday.
An ICC official made this decision to allow the team playing in Dubai on March 4 ample preparation time.
But it also means one team will return to Pakistan for their match against New Zealand in the second semi-final.
Meanwhile, this situation has raised questions from players among various teams.
Here are further details.
Travel plans
Australia and South Africa's journey to Dubai
Australia have already started their Dubai journey after qualifying for the semi-finals when their match against Afghanistan was abandoned in Lahore.
South Africa are also expected to leave Karachi for Dubai soon after their game against England, if they qualify.
In the unlikely scenario that Afghanistan qualify instead of South Africa, they will also leave for Dubai immediately.
Venue confirmation
Semi-final venues to be confirmed after India-New Zealand match
The semi-final match-ups and venues will be confirmed after India vs. New Zealand on Sunday.
Regardless of the standings, India will play in Dubai according to the hybrid model adopted.
This means Group B teams will learn their semi-final venue only after this match.
Political tensions
India's games to be held outside Pakistan
Despite Pakistan being the official host of the tournament, India's matches are being played outside the country owing to political tensions.
The PCB had earlier tried to persuade India to play their games in Pakistan, even proposing Lahore as a venue for all their matches.
However, the BCCI said the Indian government didn't grant permission for the team to play cricket in Lahore.
Journey
A look at Australia's road to semi-finals
The Aussies started off their campaign with a historic win against England.
Riding on the back of Josh Inglis's ton, Australia secured a five-wicket win in what was a high-scoring match.
However, their second match against South Africa was washed out due to rain.
Their final group game against Afghanistan yielded no result as the match had to be stopped due to rain in the second innings.
With this, the Aussies currently sit atop the table in Group B.
Road to SF
The Proteas's journey so far in the Champions Trophy
The Proteas also kicked off their 2025 CT journey with a dominant victory over debutants Afghanistan.
SA thrashed Afghanistan by 107 runs, thanks to a brilliant ton by Ryan Rickelton and a record-breaking fifty from Aiden Markram.
However, their second match against Australia was washed out due to rain.
Meanwhile, they are currently engaged in their final group stage match against England.