"We had a full day of travel yesterday" - Kiwi coach after nearly 4-hr flight from Lahore to Dubai ahead of IND vs NZ 2025 Champions Trophy final
New Zealand head coach Gary Stead opened up on the challenges of traveling ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy final in Dubai, scheduled to take place on Sunday, March 9. The 53-year-old pointed out the Kiwis had to rest an entire day after flying for nearly four hours (3 hours and 40 minutes) from Lahore to Dubai for the summit clash. Overall, the New Zealand cricket team has roughly traveled 7,150 kilometres in the Champions Trophy.
Stead, however, reckons that the BlackCaps don’t need a lot of training at this stage in the tournament. The remarks came after the Mitchell Santner-led side beat South Africa by 50 runs in the second semifinal held in Lahore on Wednesday, March 5.
On Friday (March 7), Gary Stead told ESPNcricinfo:
“There's no doubt that coming here after Lahore - we had a full day of travel yesterday - takes it out of you a little bit. But we've got a couple of days now, a little bit of recovery and a little bit of planning and training towards the game.”
“But I guess we're deep into the tournament now and sometimes it's not always a lot of training that you need. It's just getting your body and your mind right to compete in the final. That will be our key focus over the next two days,” he added.
Gary Stead, meanwhile, highlighted the positive of the Kiwis playing against India in Dubai during their last Champions Trophy group-stage fixture. He said in the same interaction:
“We're lucky enough to have had one here against them. It was a good match, without us quite putting our best foot forward as well. Wherever you play, you just have to go up and be able to be better than them on the day, and that's our focus."
Stead also downplayed the talks regarding Rohit Sharma and company playing all their games in Dubai, saying:
“They're not decisions that come across my desk anyway. For us, it's something that we can't control, so it's really just getting on with it. Yes, India have played their four matches here. “
India beat New Zealand by 44 runs in their last meeting in the 2025 Champions Trophy. The Kiwis were bundled out for 205 while chasing 250. The Men in Blue are playing all their games in Dubai due to geopolitical tensions with Pakistan, who are the original hosts of the Champions Trophy.
“I think the danger is you come from scoring 360-odd in a game” – Gary Stead warns New Zealand players ahead of 2025 Champions Trophy final
Gary Stead further warned the Kiwis not to try and repeat their heroics with the bat against South Africa in the 2025 Champions Trophy final. He said in the same interaction:
"I think that's just about adapting and working out on your feet what you think that par score is for the day. I think the danger is you come from scoring 360-odd in a game and you think you'll do that again immediately and you go a little bit [too] hard. So, for us, it's just working out what is the right tactics on the day, who we are faced up against as well, and then adapting to that.”
“It's also about communication between the batsmen in the middle, and making sure they're having good communications around who is the right player to take risks against and what that might look like,” Stead added.
The Kiwis posted 362/6 against the Proteas in the semifinal, thanks to centuries from Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson. Later, David Miller's valiant hundred went in vain as South Africa managed 312/9 in 50 overs.