Due to the complex scheduling of the Champions Trophy semi-finals in two different countries, the teams that qualified from Group B, likely Australia and South Africa, will travel to the UAE on Saturday.
An ICC official stated that the decision was made to give the team playing the Dubai semi-final on March 4 the maximum preparation time. However, this puts one team in the unfavorable position of leaving Pakistan for Dubai, only to return to Pakistan the next day. Despite the Lahore semi-final being a day later on March 5, the tournament schedule forces one team to travel and train at a venue unnecessary for a day.
Australia is already en route to Dubai, having qualified after their game against Afghanistan in Lahore was abandoned. South Africa, likely to qualify, will depart from Karachi to Dubai shortly after their match against England concludes.
In the unlikely event of Afghanistan qualifying instead of South Africa, they too will depart for Dubai as soon as possible.
The actual semi-final matchups and venues will be confirmed after India and New Zealand play their final group match on Sunday. India will play in Dubai regardless of their group position, meaning the two Group B teams will only learn their semi-final location after the India-New Zealand game.
This scenario was almost inevitable due to India needing to play their matches outside Pakistan, despite Pakistan being the official host. The PCB tried for months to have India visit Pakistan, even proposing Lahore as the venue for all their games. However, the BCCI stated that the Indian government did not permit the team to play cricket in Lahore due to significant political tensions between the two countries.
Venue uncertainty extends to the final as well. If India wins their semi-final, the final will be in Dubai. However, if they lose, it will be held at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
