Two weeks, thousands of kilometres travelled, and it comes down to the clash between two teams, who for all their history, have never lifted the World Cup.
Though both South Africa and New Zealand won the ICC Knockouts, as the Champions Trophy was known earlier, it has been twenty-five years since either of them have been able to win a white-ball global title.
So, when they meet at the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday in a semifinal clash, both stand a chance of inching closer to creating history. But as Mitchell Santner, the New Zealand captain, points out, “It’s one at a time.”
Since the last edition of the Champions Trophy, in 2017, New Zealand and South Africa have faced each other just thrice in ODIs. Even though they play against each other for the first time at the iconic venue, the Kiwis have an advantage as they come on the back of a six-match winning streak in the country.
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But South Africa, which over the years, has earned the ‘chokers’ tag for fumbling in major events, is under no pressure, and as captain Temba Bavuma says, “We’ll approach it as we normally would.”
However, there are injury concerns. While the team management is yet to take a call on Aiden Markram, who underwent a fitness test on the eve of the game, Bavuma and Tony de Zorzi have recovered from illness.
“We, obviously want to play our best cricket tomorrow. We understand this year will come with a set of challenges. We will have to play accordingly, but I think we’ll consider this as just another game for us,” Bavuma said.
With another run-feast expected at the Gaddafi Stadium, where the average first innings total has been 316 in the group stage, it would be interesting to see how both teams approach. Though New Zealand’s batting unit looks sorted, it will face a dilemma in terms of choosing the right batting order.
Rachin Ravindra and Will Young have scored centuries in the tournament, and they will once again be in focus, along with the seasoned Kane Williamson. South Africa is likely to field a couple of all-rounders, two quicks and a specialist spinner in Keshav Maharaj.
Over the last couple of days, both teams have had extensive travel and there has been very little turnaround time, but unperturbed, both sides have one goal – earn a ticket to the final and chase dreams.
The teams (from):
New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (Capt.), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young, Jacob Duffy.
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (Capt.), Corbin Bosch, Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen.
Match starts at 2.30pm