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       SOUTH AFRICAN captain Temba Bavuma in action during a net practice session at the Gaddafi Stadium on Tuesday.—White Star

       LAHORE: South African captain Temba Bavuma hinted on Tuesday that the unnecessary trip to Dubai for his side could’ve been avoided, although he added there was little they could do with the Champions Trophy schedule having been made the way it was. Having clinched top spot in their section after winning the final Group ‘B’ match against England, South Africa had to travel to Dubai for the last Group ‘A’ match between New Zealand and India to see where they will play the semi-final.

       India, who refused to travel to Pakistan, were to play their semi-final in Dubai regardless of where they finished in their group and once they secured top spot by beating New Zealand, they set up a last-four clash against Group ‘B’ runners-up Australia.

       It meant South Africa had to spend an ultimately pointless day in Dubai before reaching Lahore on Monday afternoon ahead of their semi-final against New Zealand on Wednesday.

       “The logistics, the scheduling, it is what it is,” Bavuma told reporters at the Gaddafi Stadium on the eve of their last-four match.

       “I don’t think there’s much that we could’ve done to influence that in any way. But I think probably logistically things could have been I guess more efficient.”

       Bavuma, however, was quick to add that the South African players got some downtime in Dubai. “I think some of the guys did enjoy the ti-me to kind of wander around in Dubai,” he said.

       “Some of the boys played some golf, some of the boys went for sightseeing. So, I guess it was quite enjoyable from that perspective. We’re happy to be at the mall. For other guys it was just another day to recover. So yeah, guys made use of it as best as they could.”

       The 34-year-old stressed that the added travel will not be an excuse for his side. “We’re here in Lahore now. We definitely don’t use that as an excuse in terms of our preparation or anything like that. And we’re going to be preparing and getting as ready. Our mind is geared to what we need to do for tomorrow.”

       Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2025