South Africa’s David Miller expressed his frustration after the extra travel caused by India’s involvement in the semi-finals. The experienced batter didn’t hold back his feelings.
Usually, such questions are met with diplomacy or caution, especially when India is involved. However, Miller was so annoyed that he didn’t mince words: “I’ll give you an honest answer, I think I’ll support New Zealand in the final.”
Miller’s comments came right after South Africa was knocked out by New Zealand in the semi-finals. The disappointment and bitterness were still fresh. Miller has a long-standing, close relationship with India, having been a regular face in the IPL for years. But this time, the added travel chaos caused by India seemed to bring out his frustration.
In this year’s hybrid-model Champions Trophy, many things were different. Since India played all its matches in Dubai, other teams had to deal with the additional burden of travel and playing at new venues. Even the host country, Pakistan, had to travel to Dubai for India’s matches.
Ahead of the semi-finals, the ICC implemented a unique initiative. In the last group match between India and New Zealand, it was still uncertain which team would face India in the semi-finals in Dubai. To accommodate this, the ICC brought both teams from the other group (Australia and South Africa) to Dubai ahead of time, giving them an extra day to prepare at the venue.
In the end, India topped their group and faced Australia in the semi-finals. South Africa, after flying from Karachi to Dubai, had to fly back to Lahore for the match.
On Wednesday, South Africa lost to New Zealand by 50 runs in the second semi-final. Miller scored an unbeaten century off 67 balls, but it only reduced the margin of defeat as the chase of 363 runs was already out of reach.
After the match, Miller said that the travel had been an additional hassle for the team.
“Although it was just a 1-hour 40-minute flight, we still had to deal with it. After one match, we had to leave early in the morning and arrive in Dubai at 4 PM. The next morning, we had to fly back at 7:30 AM.”
“Such situations are never enjoyable. It wasn’t like a 5-hour flight where we had time to recover. But certainly, the situation wasn’t ideal.”
Miller didn’t want to use the travel as an excuse for their loss. He took responsibility for their batting failure and also pointed to the condition of the pitch.
“There were good contributions from the top order. We had a solid foundation with a couple of fifties. But unfortunately, we lost two wickets in the middle overs. At the end of the day, it’s a team effort. Everyone tries their best.”
“Even with a good pitch, chasing 360 runs is never easy. There was no dew at night, and as the game went on, the pitch got worse. The ball turned more when we were batting, and they got a bit more help from the pitch.”
Although Miller will support New Zealand in the final, he expects an exciting match.
“Both teams are incredibly good. India has shown the world how great they are. They’ve been playing excellent cricket for years and have fantastic players. It’s going to be a brilliant match.”
