New Zealand all-rounder Glenn Phillips praised Virat Kohli's legacy in cricket, calling his 300th ODI a 'big feat' in the modern era.
South Africa join Australia, India and New Zealand in the semi-finals but who their opponents will be, and where they will play next, will be answered on Sunday when the latter two clash in Dubai.
New Zealand and South Africa, both laden with world-class talent but often falling short in ICC tournaments, will face off in a tightly contested Champions Trophy semifinal.
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting believes South Africa has a slight edge over New Zealand in their Champions Trophy semifinal clash.
IMAGES from the Champions Trophy second Semi-final between New Zealand and South Africa played at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Wednesday
Henry's exceptional spell of 5 for 42 in eight overs played a crucial role in restricting India to 249/9 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
The ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan has seen a decline in attendance following the early exit of the Pakistani cricket team and the start of Ramadan.
Skipper Steve Smith said the opener, who suffered the quad injury while fielding but struggled on to scored 20 runs from 15 balls before the game was washed out, is unlikely to be fit to face India or New Zealand on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Ravindra Jadeja relaxed with a cup of coffee during a break from training in Dubai.
'I knew he would come through in a big match because of his ability to rise to the occasion.'
Afghanistan are only mathematically alive in the race although they beat England in their impressive Champions Trophy debut.
Afghan fans turned out in large numbers, hoping to witness history-a victory over Australia that would have boosted their team's semifinal chances.
Australian opener Matthew Short suffered an injury while fielding but he returned to open the batting and Smith said he could take a few days to recover.
Australia sailed into the Champions Trophy semi-finals after their final Group B match against Afghanistan was abandoned at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday.
Unaware that the area was filled with cricket fans, he had a tough time managing the crowd.
According to sources aware of developments in the Board, a few players are contemplating if they should travel to New Zealand.
"Actually, he can surprise you with his pace. Just the other day in the nets, he hit me straight in the back. So, yeah, all of these things make him a very good bowler to play against.
'And obviously two losses and being out of the tournament and a bit of hangover of the few tournaments before I think it probably reached the end of the road foe me and my captaincy, is a shame, I'm sad about that.'
'Certain formats require a certain skill set and whenever we look at these kinds of players, if the talent is there, then you don't want to shy away from blooding them.'
Their pre-tournament decision to fill the squad with five spinners drew a lot of flak from all corners, but it is now proving to be a masterstroke on the slow pitches in Dubai.
New Zealand batter Glenn Phillips played down any talks of India getting an advantage by playing all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai.
South Africa crushed England by seven wickets in their final group match to storm into the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy.
The Proteas will now face the Group A runners-up in the semifinals, with India and New Zealand set to battle for Group A placings in Dubai on Sunday.
'I will watch India's match against New Zealand with no tension -- just enjoy the cricket.'
IMAGES from the Champions Trophy Group A match played between India and New Zealand at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, in Dubai on Sunday
India batter Shubman Gill, who missed practice on Wednesday, returned to training at the ICC Cricket Academy on Thursday, putting to rest speculation about his availability for the Champions Trophy match against New Zealand.
It has been a forgettable campaign for Pakistan in the first global tournament to be staged in the country since 1996.
Former opener Shikhar Dhawan believes Rohit Sharma has matured as a leader over the years and shares a close bond with his teammates, which augurs well for the Indian team.
Often the way Rahul paces his innings gets debated but he is not really worried about that aspect.
'Especially in the middle overs. That's going to be a key challenge.'
India won't give into the temptation of tinkering with the Playing XI, feels opening batter KL Rahul.
Bracwell said the Test series win would give the Black Caps confidence going into Sunday's game.
Rohit cited India's last Group A match against New Zealand here on Sunday to emphasize his point.
As the battle for semi-final berths intensifies in Group B, top-ranked South Africa will aim to assert their dominance and secure a spot in the final four when they face a struggling England in a high-stakes Champions Trophy clash in Karachi on Saturday.
Security was breached again in Lahore, where another pitch invader ran onto the field during Afghanistan's post-match celebrations.
Shubman Gill, who has been India's stand out batter in the tournament, was the only one who did not turn up for practice.
Drivers returned to the pits, under a darkening sky, with engineers using torches in the garages before back-up generators came on and the session resumed about an hour later.
On linking up with the squad, the former South Africa pacer was seen having a long chat with head coach Gautam Gambhir as the players did their warm-up drills at the ICC Academy in Dubai.
Varun Chakravarthy now holds the best figures by an Indian bowler on Champions Trophy debut. His five wicket haul in just his second ODI is the earliest by an Indian in 50 overs cricket.
The team management and selectors have faced backlash over squad selection for the Champions Trophy.
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