Updated On: 04 March, 2025 05:24 PM IST | Dubai | mid-day online correspondent
South Africa also travelled to Dubai not knowing who they would face in the semi-finals, but instead returned to Pakistan less than 24 hours later without playing a game

Mitchell Santner. Pic/AFP
Although skipper Mitchell Santner said New Zealand have endured some 'tough travel' along the way, he was quick to insist they are raring to go for their Champions Trophy semi-final against South Africa on Wednesday in Lahore.
New Zealand convincingly won their first two games of the ODI tournament in Pakistan, then lost to India in Dubai on Sunday, and have now flown back to Pakistan again for the encounter at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium. "It was actually more of a daytime sleep," Santner said on Tuesday on the eve of the semi-final.