The Australian and South African cricket teams will fly into Dubai ahead of the Champions Trophy semifinals, even though it remains uncertain whether their match will be held in Dubai or Pakistan, according to a BBC report.
Dubai is set to host the first semifinal on Tuesday, with Lahore hosting the second on Wednesday.
The final venue decision hinges on the outcome of the last Group A match between India and New Zealand on Sunday, which will determine if Australia or South Africa will face Rohit Sharma and Co in Dubai.
Due to security concerns in Pakistan, India is playing all its matches in Dubai.
As a result, both Australia and South Africa must travel to Dubai and await the result of Sunday’s game before knowing which team will return to Lahore for the second semifinal.
“Group B concludes with South Africa’s match against England on Saturday but neither the Proteas nor Australia will know the venue for their semifinal until after the conclusion of India’s match against New Zealand on Sunday,” wrote BBC on Saturday.
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“Were they (Australia and South Africa) to wait until Monday and only travel when the fixtures were confirmed, that would rule out the possibility of training in Dubai -– where India will have played all three group matches,” it added.
Some cricketers, including South African top-order batter Rassie van der Dussen and injured Australia skipper Pat Cummins, have said India is in an advantageous position as it has played all its games at one venue while other teams have had to travel to different venues in Pakistan.
The report further added that a situation might arise where Australia might take a three-hour flight from Lahore to Dubai on Saturday, and then fly back on Monday if it does not meet India in the semifinal.
“Similarly, South Africa will fly to Dubai in the early hours of Sunday (after its last group match against England) and could return to Pakistan 24 hours later if it does not have to face India,” added the report.
The team finishing second in Group A will meet the winners of Group B and vice-versa. India will play its knockout game in Dubai on Tuesday irrespective of where it finishes in Group A.