Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: India will launch their ICC Champions Trophy title defence against traditional rivals Pakistan when the two Asian powerhouses go head to head at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on June 4. The 18-day tournament will run from June 1 to 18, 2017 and will also see matches played at the Cardiff Wales Stadium in Cardiff and The Oval in London. A couple of days before this mouth-watering all-Asian clash, Australia and New Zealand will lock horns in a repeat of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 final at Edgbaston. Event host and 2004 and 2013 finalist England will take on Bangladesh in the tournament opener at The Oval, which will also be the venue for a battle between former champions Sri Lanka and South Africa on 3 June.

The tournament schedule was announced at The Oval on Wednesday exactly a year before the first ball is bowled in the tournament, in which a total of 15 matches – including three knock-out games – will be played over two and a half weeks. The top eight sides on the ICC ODI Team Rankings on September 30, 2015 have qualified for this tournament, with world champions Australia seeded number-one. They head Group A, which also includes fourth seed New Zealand, sixth seed England and seventh seed Bangladesh, who will be returning to this competition for the first time since 2006.

Defending champions India are seeded second and lead Group B, which also comprises third seed South Africa, fifth seed Sri Lanka and eighth seed Pakistan. The top two sides from each group will progress to the semi-finals, which will be played at Cardiff and Edgbaston on June 14 and 15 respectively, with The Oval hosting the final. There will be a reserve day for the final.

Announcing the schedule, ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: “The ICC Champions Trophy is a short and sharp event, which is followed and enjoyed by the spectators and players alike. The ICC Champions Trophy 2017 is not just an ODI competition, it carries a great deal of value since it is being played just three months before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 qualification cut-off date. As such, every point earned here could be crucial.”

He said the ICC Champions Trophy would also be the first of three global tournaments the England and Wales Cricket Board would be hosting over the next three years. “Immediately after the ICC Champions Trophy, the ICC Women’s World Cup will be staged while the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, the pinnacle of the 50-over format, will be held in 2019.”

In the 2013 event, India defeated Pakistan by eight wickets in a rain-reduced match at Edgbaston and then went on to beat England by five runs at the same venue to win their second ICC Champions Trophy title. However, in the 2009 event in South Africa, Pakistan defeated India by 54 runs at Centurion, which interestingly is their only victory over their old foes in a major ICC event. Australia have won back to back ICC Champions Trophy titles in India and South Africa in 2006 and 2009 respectively, while New Zealand won the competition in Nairobi in 2000 when it was called the ICC Knock-Out. England is hosting the event for the third time, having made the final on both the occasions. In 2004, they narrowly lost the final to the West Indies at The Oval by two wickets, while in 2013 it suffered a five-run defeat at Edgbaston. South Africa won the inaugural event in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 1998 while India and Sri Lanka shared the trophy in 2002.

Previous winners

1998 South Africa

2000 New Zealand

2002 Sri Lanka and India

2004 West Indies

2006 Australia

2009 Australia

2013 India

Group A Group B

Australia India

New Zealand South Africa

England Sri Lanka

Bangladesh Pakistan

Event schedule:

Thurs, 1 June – England v Bangladesh, The Oval (d)

Fri, 2 June – Australia v New Zealand, Edgbaston (d)

Sat, 3 June – Sri Lanka v South Africa, The Oval (d)

Sun, 4 June – India v Pakistan, Edgbaston (d)

Mon, 5 June – Australia v Bangladesh, The Oval (d/n)

Tues, 6 June – England v New Zealand, Cardiff (d)

Wed, 7 June – Pakistan v South Africa, Edgbaston (d/n)

Thurs, 8 June – India v Sri Lanka, The Oval (d)

Fri, 9 June – New Zealand v Bangladesh, Cardiff (d)

Sat, 10 June – England v Australia, Edgbaston (d)

Sun, 11 June – India v South Africa, The Oval (d)

Mon, 12 June – Sri Lanka v Pakistan, Cardiff (d)

Wed, 14 June – First semi-final (A1 v B2), Cardiff (d)

Thurs, 15 June – Second semi-final (A2 v B1), Edgbaston (d)

Sun, 18 June – Final, The Oval (d)

Mon, 19 June – Reserve
day (d)

(Match timing – Day matches will start at 10h30 (UK time), while day/night matches will start at 13h30 (UK time).