
Teams facing 'crazy' Dubai travel plans for semis
Australia and South Africa will travel to Dubai before the Champions Trophy semi-finals, despite not knowing if they will play there or in Pakistan.Dubai will host the first semi-final on Tuesday with the second match played in Lahore, Pakistan, a day later.India, who are guaranteed to progress from Group A, are playing all of their matches in Dubai after opting not to travel to Pakistan.Group B concludes with South Africa's match against England on Saturday but neither the Proteas or Australia will know the venue for their semi-final until after the conclusion of India's match against New Zealand on Sunday.Were they to wait until Monday and only travel when the fixtures were confirmed, that would rule out the possibility of training in Dubai – where India will have played all three group matches.It raises the prospect of Australia taking the three-hour flight from Lahore to Dubai on Saturday, only to have to fly back on Monday if they do not meet India.Similarly, South Africa will fly to Dubai in the early hours of Sunday and could return to Pakistan 24 hours later if they do not have to face India.
Whichever team finishes second in Group A will meet the winner of Group B and vice-versa. India are guaranteed to play the first semi-final on Tuesday regardless of their group position, however.There has been criticism throughout the tournament of the advantage India hold by playing all of their matches at the venue.Others have played across the four venues in Pakistan and Dubai."If you can stay in one place, stay in one hotel, practice in the same facilities, play in the same stadium, on the same pitches every time, it's definitely an advantage," South Africa batter Rassie van der Dussen said earlier this week."I don't think you have to be a rocket scientist to know that."BBC chief cricket commentator Jonathan Agnew said: "India are camped out in Dubai, playing in the same ground and same places in the changing room. "Both Australia and South Africa will fly to Dubai but only one will play there and the other will get back on a plane to Lahore. It's all got a bit crazy."

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Guardian
31 minutes ago
- The Guardian
South Africa v Australia: World Test Championship final cricket, day one
Update: Date: 2025-06-11T08:30:15.000Z Title: Preamble Content: Hello and welcome to live coverage of the first day of the World Test Championship final between Australia and South Africa. The ICC's red-ball showcase might still be some distance short of becoming the pinnacle of the format but the hype will be real once Australia and South Africa step onto Lord's to renew their one-time fierce rivalry. Australia are out to become the first side to retain the title (which, admittedly, will only be awarded for the third time), while South Africa have more than just silverware – in this case, the WTC mace – on the line after three decades of pain and suffering at the pointy end of global cricket tournaments. South Africa secured their place in the decider – somewhat surprisingly – as the No 1 side across the two-year WTC cycle. The Proteas arguably made the most of a friendly fixture as they avoided crossing paths with the defending champions, as well as England, and only faced two-time runners-up India in a tied home series. But they could now respond to the critics of their path to the final in the most satisfying way. South Africa have in fact only met their old foes Australia in a single Test series – for three matches away in 2022-23 – in the past seven years, in one of all too many signs of the ever-widening divide that now exists between cricket's 'Big Three' and the remainder of the Test-playing nations. But the winner-takes-all WTC final at Lord's feels like neither the time nor the place to be laying out all that has gone wrong with the purists' preferred format, especially with play due to start in an hour. First ball will be at 10.30am local time or 7.30pm AEST / 11.30am SAST. The toss will take place 30 minutes before that. I'll be seeing us through to drinks in the second session, when the tone will inevitably shift as self-confessed South Africa tragic, Dan Gallan, takes the reins. Get in touch with any comments, questions, thoughts and predictions – shoot me an email or find me @martinpegan on Bluesky or X. Let's get into it! The #WTC25 Final is here, and you can watch every ball and match-winning moment as South Africa face Australia 📺Where to watch:


Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Daniel Levy urged to make shock U-turn and re-hire Ange Postecoglou after bizarre statement from Australian official
The Lord Mayor of Melbourne has urged Daniel Levy to reconsider his decision to sack Ange Postecoglou after sharing a passionate statement on social media. On Friday Tottenham released a statement to announce that Postecoglou had been relieved of his duties 16 days after he led the club to their first silverware since 2008. Victory in Bilbao served as a glorious conclusion to what had been an otherwise disastrous campaign for the north London club. In a season in which his squad was ravaged by slew of injuries, further compounded by a congested fixture list, Spurs suffered 22 league defeats, a club record in a 38-game season. However, despite the worrying domestic form, many feel as though Postecoglou was hard done by - including Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Nicholas Reece. On Tuesday night, Reece said: 'On behalf of the people of Melbourne, and Premier League fans around the world, I call on Tottenham Hotspur FC to reconsider its decision to sack coach Ange Postecoglou. 'In @cityofmelbourne we have followed Ange's career closely for decades. He began his junior and senior career in Melbourne as a player and later coach at @southmelbournefc in the 1980s. 'Never underestimate Ange's determination to win, and his ability to carry teams to greatness. We have seen this time again over his career. 'This year Tottenham made history by winning the Europa League trophy - its first such win in 17 years. We will see with further trophies follow if Ange is given the chance. 'Don't let Tottenham be known as the team that is allergic to silverware. Let Ange lead the players onto greatness in next years Premier League campaign.' Despite his passionate message, the club are pushing forward in their search to replacement the Australian and are closing in on appointing Thomas Frank. Mail Sport understands that Spurs have made a formal approach for the Dane – and that an unveiling could take place in the coming days. Frank has a release clause thought to be around £10m, but those with knowledge of the situation believe it is heading towards a positive conclusion and that Frank will soon be announced as successor to Ange Postecoglou, who was sacked on Friday. Negotiations have now started, with chairman Daniel Levy representing Tottenham and Phil Giles, Brentford's director of football, in talks. Aside from the release fee, discussions are also likely to focus on Frank's backroom staff, and the level of compensation needed to allow them to follow him from west to north London. The Bees will demand suitable recompense for a manager whom has been with the club for close to a decade and who has overseen a period of remarkable success. Frank arrived at the club in 2016 as assistant head coach and was appointed manager in 2018. In his first full season in charge he led them to the play-off final and followed it up with promotion to the Premier League. Over the past four years he has firmly established Brentford as a top-flight club.


Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Australia's Suaalii fit to face the Lions after broken jaw
SYDNEY, June 11 (Reuters) - Wallabies back Joseph Suaalii said he would be fit to face the British & Irish Lions in July and August after a month-long layoff with a broken jaw. The high profile signing from rugby league has had a disrupted first season in Super Rugby Pacific with injuries severely limiting his time on the pitch. "My face was really big for a bit, I was wearing a face mask everywhere," he told reporters after meeting some real lions at Sydney's Taronga Zoo on Wednesday. "I'll be fully fit. Obviously, had a toe injury, then my jaw and concussion as well. But you know, it's all part of the game. "It's such an important time for myself and Australian rugby and I want to be playing, so obviously I was a little bit of a nerves but ... I had surgery maybe three weeks ago now and looking good going into the Lions." Suaalii said he had lost nearly five kilograms due to the difficulties of eating with a broken jaw but had put it all back on again since. "I've been eating heaps," he said. "Thanks to my mum and my family around me to help me stay on track." The knee of his Wallabies teammate Andrew Kellaway's was the inadvertent cause of the broken jaw and the winger feared at one stage that he might be remembered as the man who ended Suaalii's chances of facing the Lions. "Nobody wants to crash the Ferrari, that's not what anyone wants," Kellaway joked. "He looks alright, he's doing a lot of talking, which is a good sign." Suaalii said he felt he had played enough rugby to compete at the highest level against the Lions, adding that he would be comfortable playing at fullback, on the wing or in the centres. Australia's one warm-up test against Fiji in Newcastle on July 6 was definitely on his radar, Suaalii said, and he could not wait to tangle with the tourists. "These are the biggest games of my life, I believe," he said. "Some people play it once in your career, and it happens every 12 years."