Champions Trophy: South Africa's Dussen brushes off pressure ahead of semi-final

KARACHI: South African batter Rassie van der Dussen dismissed concerns about pressure and fatigue on Saturday as his team prepared for the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final after their dominant win over England.

Speaking to reporters after the match, Dussen remained realistic about the challenges ahead, including potential travel fatigue ahead of the semi-final.

When asked if the long-standing drought of ICC trophies added pressure on the Proteas, he dismissed the notion and said: "At the end of the day, if we win, it's the first ICC trophy in a while. If we don't win, it's just the same as last year and the year before that. So, no real pressure there."

"We don't really focus on that. If we do get to a final, we'll try and play a good game on the day and see what the result is."

South Africa's journey to the semi-final has been anything but straightforward. The team faces uncertainty over their next destination.  Though they are travelling to Dubai tomorrow, it is still unclear if they will play the semi-final against India in Dubai or will travel back to Lahore and play Australia. 

Dussen, however, remained unfazed by the logistical challenges. "It is what it is. Physically, it's not that long a flight. It would be nice to just sit in one hotel the whole time on one ground like some teams, but that's not the reality for everyone," he said.

"We'll get on the plane and see what happens tomorrow. Mentally, we just need to refresh and make sure we're up for whoever we're facing."

If South Africa advances to face India in Dubai, Dussen acknowledged that the Indian team would have a clear advantage, having played all their matches there. 

"Definitely. It's definitely an advantage. They’ve been in one hotel, one ground, one training facility. But we don’t spend too much mental energy on that. It is what it is. The challenge for them will be to use that advantage. For us, if we do play against them, to an extent, that advantage doesn’t matter," he said.

The "chokers" tag, often associated with South Africa in high-stakes tournaments, was also brought up. Van der Dussen dismissed the label, emphasising that it does not define the current team.

"As a team, that doesn’t define us. That’s in the past. Some teams lose and nobody calls them chokers. When we lose, they call us chokers. I don’t know why the difference is," he said.

Reflecting on South Africa's strong performance in the tournament, the batter credited familiarity with the conditions in Pakistan, particularly Karachi, as a key factor.

Having played in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and a tri-series leading up to the Champions Trophy, he and teammate David Miller were able to share insights with the squad.

"From a batting point of view, there are a few technical adjustments you make. In South Africa, there’s a lot of bounce, so just a few changes in your batting blueprint. We definitely communicated that," he explained.

Looking ahead to Dubai, Dussen noted the differences in pitch conditions compared to Karachi. "In Dubai, normally the bowlers are into it a bit more. There’s a bit more seam movement and some spin. Outfields are not as quick as here, so it’s generally a bit of a lower-scoring ground," he said. However, he remained confident that the team’s adaptability would serve them well.

South Africa’s focus now shifts to their semi-final clash, where they aim to shed the weight of past disappointments and continue their strong run in the tournament.