David Miller Slams ICC for Giving Advantage to India in the Champions Trophy
South Africa’s David Miller criticized the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 scheduling after their 50-run semi-final loss to New Zealand. Despite scoring a brilliant 100 while chasing 363*, Miller blamed the tight travel schedule, which saw South Africa fly between Pakistan and Dubai within 12 hours. Frustrated, he backed New Zealand to win the final against India on March 9.
In the Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final, South African batter David Miller played a heroic knock, scoring an unbeaten 100 runs, but his efforts weren’t enough as his team lost to New Zealand by 50 runs while chasing a massive target of 363. This defeat ended South Africa’s campaign, continuing their struggles in ICC knockout matches.
After the match, Miller criticized the ICC for poor scheduling, stating that South Africa had to travel between Pakistan and the UAE on short notice, impacting their recovery. The Proteas flew to Dubai from Karachi on Sunday, expecting to play there, only to return to Lahore within 12 hours for the semi-final. Meanwhile, New Zealand also had a demanding schedule, playing India in Dubai before flying to Lahore. He said:
I’ll be honest with you. I think I’ll be supporting New Zealand. It’s only an hour-and-40-minute flight, but we had to do that after a game. We landed at 4 p.m., then had to fly back at 7:30 the next morning. It wasn’t ideal. It’s not like we had five hours to recover.
Despite his frustration, Miller acknowledged New Zealand’s dominant performance and even backed them to win the final against India. His century was a personal milestone, especially as he dedicated it to the birth of his son, but he admitted he would have preferred a victory.
Now, New Zealand will face India in the final on March 9 at the Dubai International Stadium, hoping to claim their first Champions Trophy title since 2000.
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