South Africa and New Zealand won the first two editions of the Men's ICC Champions Trophy in 1998 and 2000, respectively, when it was called the ICC KnockOut Trophy. Since then they have done well in world cricket, performed well consistently in the ICC tournaments but have repeatedly left for home with heartbreak.
They will clash at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Wednesday in the semifinal of the 2025 edition of the ICC Champions Trophy as the two luckless teams hoping to set the record straight earn another shot at glory.
The two teams have regularly clashed in ICC events with New Zealand often having the upper hand in knockout round clashes, most memorably eliminating South Africa in the 2011 and 2015 World Cups. The Proteas will be hoping to get revenge on Wednesday.
Both the teams have in recent times come close to winning ICC titles. The Blackcaps fell short in the controversial 2019 World Cup final when they lost to England on several boundaries scored while South Africa fell to a rampant India in the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
What makes Wednesday's contest more intriguing is that both the teams are evenly matched, and therefore their clash promises to add another enthralling chapter in their long-standing rivalry.
South Africa and New Zealand will love to play in Lahore as the track is not expected to be as slow as the one in Dubai and will also not assist the spinners.
The conditions are expected to favour the batters and it will likely be a high-scoring encounter. South Africa’s top order, led by skipper Temba Bavuma, will be keen to put up a formidable total, with white-ball experts like Heinrich Klaasen, and David Miller in their ranks.
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said they will approach it as a normal match and will not think of the semifinal clashes they have lost so far.
We'll approach it as we normally would. We obviously want to play our best cricket, come tomorrow. We understand New Zealand will obviously come with a certain challenge and we'll have to prepare accordingly, but I think (Aiden) Markram said it, it's just another game, another game for us. Yes, it's important, but we definitely won't be blowing it out of proportion. It's the semifinal, we want to play our best cricket.
New Zealand too have white-ball experts like Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, and Glenn Phillips. Then they have the ever-reliable Kane Williamson, who holds the key to the match having scored a century against South Africa in the tri-nation series leading up to the Champions Trophy. With the likes of Devon Conway and Tom Latham supporting them, New Zealand's batting presents a more settled look.
So, it could end up being a battle of the pacers with both sides promising some good bowlers in their ranks. South Africa have Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen going up against New Zealand’s Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson. New Zealand's Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell will be looking to match up against South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi.
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner said his side reached their first target of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 - and now they plan to stick with the same formula they've followed so far to reach the final.
The first goal was to make the semi-finals here. We had a good prep and we've played some good cricket. So I don't think anything has to change.
We know South Africa are a great side. They've been playing well, as they always do in these tournaments. We know it's going to be a challenge come tomorrow but I think what we've been doing has been good.
Santner said he expects more pace and bounce for the quicker bowlers, and hinted that his team is unlikely to change too much.
We'll see how it shapes up, but I think it's going to be a pretty good wicket.
With an average first-innings score of 316.5 at the Gaddafi Stadium in recent matches, fans should expect another run-fest. One thing that would interest the fans and players is the clear weather, which means uninterrupted play on Wednesday. Given the firepower on both sides, this match could go down to the wire, with the team handling pressure better likely to emerge victorious.
Squads:
New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young, Jacob Duffy
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Corbin Bosch.
