It will be a good show on offer between the two bowling attacks: Temba Bavuma

South Africa meet New Zealand in the second semi-final of the Champions Trophy 2025 at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Wednesday, March 5. Both teams have won the title once and will be looking to take one step towards the second in the potentially competitive knockout game.

Preparation is quite lighter for New Zealand. After their flight from Dubai, their bowlers aren’t expected to do much work.

"We just needed to make sure we were ready," said skipper Mitchell Santner as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Temba Bavuma, the South African captain, meanwhile, sees the clash of the bowling units as a highly competitive one.

"New Zealand's bowling is formidable. They're disciplined, especially with the new ball, and don't offer much to score from. As batters, we have to be decisive. In the middle overs, they squeeze the game and force mistakes. We’ll have to work hard to put ourselves in a position to take control. We're confident in our bowling. It’ll be a great contest between both sides," he acknowledged.

Also Read: Champions Trophy 2025, Semi-final 2: New Zealand vs South Africa Match Preview

Temba Bavuma’s assessment is supported by New Zealand's bowling numbers. Besides from India, who played in Dubai’s slow and lower-scoring pitch conditions, no team have had a better economy rate or has bowled more dot balls. In Pakistan's Champions Trophy games, New Zealanders are three of the top four bowlers when it comes to bowling dot balls which includes Will O’Rourke, Santner and Michael Bracewell.

South Africa trained fiercely under lights for three hours on the eve of the match. Wiaan Mulder and Marco Jansen had long spells, while Kagiso Rabada mostly focused to do fielding drills. 

The South African team's travel routine was chaotic, flying to and fro from Karachi to Dubai, then again back to Lahore.

"Logistically, things could have been more efficient, But the boys enjoyed it—some played golf, some went sightseeing. We made the most of it," Bavuma added.