‘Advantage or not remains to be seen’

South Africa’s Wiaan Mulder during a practice session on the eve of their match against England in Karachi yesterday. PIC/AFP

South Africa head coach Rob Walter doesn't want to spend time debating whether India holds an advantage by being based in Dubai, saying that he would rather focus his energy on his team's performance in the Champions Trophy.

India are playing all their matches in Dubai, and even the semifinal and final will be held there if the team goes the distance, while the rest of the teams have to travel across Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi in Pakistan for their matches.

"If we spend our energy worrying about a disadvantage, we spend less energy thinking about ourselves and what we need to be doing," Walter said on the eve of South Africa's final group game against England. "The scheduling is the scheduling. India obviously have been in Dubai in the same venue, in the same place, and other teams haven't. Whether that turns out to be an advantage or not will remain to be seen."

South Africa, who sit on the top of Group B, are in a three-way battle alongside Afghanistan and Australia to qualify for the semi-finals. "We have to concentrate on spending all our energy thinking about how we're going to get through our next step which is England and then wherever that takes us from there."

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