New Zealand remain undeterred by their recent travel schedule as they gear up for their ICC Champions Trophy semifinal against South Africa on Wednesday. Despite shifting between Dubai and Lahore, the Black Caps are focused on delivering their best performance and securing a spot in the final.
Speaking ahead of the match, wicketkeeper Tom Latham dismissed any concerns about the demanding schedule, emphasising his team’s adaptability. “(The scheduling) is something that’s out of our control,” he said. “For us, it is about turning up at each game regardless of where it is and trying to play our best brand of cricket as best we can. Whether it be here or in Pakistan, our focus will obviously be on South Africa.”
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New Zealand must quickly adjust to Lahore’s conditions after struggling on Dubai’s sluggish pitch in their loss to India. Latham noted that Lahore could offer slightly easier batting conditions, particularly later in the innings. “I think we’ve seen throughout the games in Pakistan that towards the back end, a little bit of juice settles in and sometimes can be a little bit easier. We’ll have to wait and see what sort of surface we get and go from there.”
The Kiwis will take confidence from their recent win over South Africa at the same venue in the Tri-Series before the tournament. “We’re fortunate enough we had a Tri-Series in Pakistan against South Africa,” Latham said. “So, we’ve got a chance to look back on those experiences and give it our best in a semi-final, which is pretty cool.”
However, New Zealand face a formidable opponent. “They’ve got all bases covered in terms of batting, bowling, and fielding. It’s going to be a fantastic game, and I’m sure both teams are really looking forward to it,” Latham added.
