South Africa’s David Miller, who scored a century, expressed frustration with the preparation for the Champions Trophy semi-finals due to constant flights between Pakistan and Dubai.
Shortly after New Zealand secured their spot in the Champions Trophy final with a convincing win, Kane Williamson and David Miller met. They encountered each other at the press conference room entrance. Williamson was done with his media obligations, and Miller was about to begin. They exchanged a friendly smile and a hug. Williamson departed, while Miller, visibly disappointed, remained.
This camaraderie turned out to be more than just a fleeting moment as Miller revealed his preference for the final, one his team would again miss. “I’ll be honest,” he stated, “I think I’ll be supporting New Zealand.”
New Zealand and South Africa often share a good rapport, and in this tournament, Miller’s support might stem from shared experiences. In the past week, both New Zealand and South Africa have traveled to Dubai and back from Pakistan twice. New Zealand played India in their last group match in Dubai on Saturday before returning in the early hours of Monday to play the semi-final.
Meanwhile, South Africa flew to Dubai from Karachi on Sunday after playing against England the day before. This was to ensure sufficient preparation time for a potentially earlier semi-final in Dubai. However, as results became clear, they didn’t need to play in Dubai and took the next flight back to Lahore, just 12 hours after landing in Dubai.
“It’s just a one hour and 40-minute flight, but the fact that we had to do it was not ideal,” Miller commented. “It’s early morning, after a game, and we had to fly. We reached Dubai at 4 pm and had to return at 7:30 am. It’s not pleasant. It’s not like it was a five-hour flight with ample recovery time. It was still not an ideal situation.”
However, in the semi-final, he admitted New Zealand played better and deserved to win. The game concluded on a bittersweet note for Miller, who scored an unbeaten century off 67 balls on the last ball. He celebrated the recent birth of his son but mentioned he would have “preferred to play poorly” if South Africa had won.
“There were some good contributions, a couple of fifties at the top. We had a solid foundation. Unfortunately, we lost too many wickets in the middle. Ultimately, it’s a team effort. Everyone tries their best. It would have been nice to have a rematch against India. But life isn’t always fair. Trophies require hard work,” Miller said.
Ultimately, the game might have slipped from South Africa’s grasp in the first innings, despite Miller’s powerful batting. New Zealand won the toss and batted first, benefiting from better conditions, especially with limited spin assistance under the sun.
“Chasing 360 isn’t easy even on a good pitch. There was no dew, so the pitch likely deteriorated as the game progressed. They got more spin than us, extracting more from the wicket.”
Despite his preference, Miller didn’t make a prediction. “Both are incredibly strong teams,” Miller remarked. “India has shown their quality to the world. They’ve played excellent cricket for years and have exceptional players. It will be a great final.”
