The ICC Champions Trophy - A Preview

The fan following of this blog is growing, but not by leaps and bounds, as I would like it to be. In a country like ours, this means only one thing. That it is time for an article on cricket - after all, nothing sells like cricket in India. We are now in the midst of a short tri-series being played in Sri Lanka, involving India and New Zealand in addition to the hosts. In the first match, Sri Lanka got the better of New Zealand, by a comfortable margin, in a low scoring match. As this article is not really on the Compaq Cup, here's something for those interested in watching the match highlights (in 3 capsules).






An interesting fact about the Compaq Cup is that it is the first digital trophy, incorporating a small LCD screen which will display winning moments, key statistics, photographs and fan messages. A novel idea for a trophy indeed!!!

However, for the diehard cricket fan, the Compaq Cup is only like a promo, when compared to the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, to be played in South Africa, from the 22nd of September to the 5th of October. 8 teams divided into 2 groups and 15 matches in total - 12 round robin matches and 3 knock-out ones.

The schedule of the matches is as follows:

Tue Sep 22 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
Group B - South Africa v Sri Lanka at SuperSport Park, Centurion

Wed Sep 23 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
Group A - Pakistan v West Indies at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

Thu Sep 24 at 09:30 local (07:30 GMT, 13:00 IST)
Group B - South Africa v New Zealand at SuperSport Park, Centurion

Fri Sep 25 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
Group B - England v Sri Lanka New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

Sat Sep 26 at 09:30 local (07:30 GMT, 13:00 IST)
Group A - Australia v West Indies at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

Sat Sep 26 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
Group A - India v Pakistan at SuperSport Park, Centurion

Sun Sep 27 at 09:30 local (07:30 GMT, 13:00 IST)
Group B - New Zealand v Sri Lanka at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

Sun Sep 27 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
Group B - South Africa v England at SuperSport Park, Centurion

Mon Sep 28 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
Group A - Australia v India at SuperSport Park, Centurion

Tue Sep 29 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
Group B - England v New Zealand at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

Wed Sep 30 at 09:30 local (07:30 GMT, 13:00 IST)
Group A - Australia v Pakistan at SuperSport Park, Centurion

Wed Sep 30 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
Group A - India v West Indies at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

Fri Oct 2 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
1st Semi-Final - A1 v B2 at SuperSport Park, Centurion

Sat Oct 3 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
2nd Semi-Final - B1 v A2 at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

Mon Oct 5 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
Final at SuperSport Park, Centurion

As can be seen, the 2 groups are
Group A - India, Australia, Pakistan, West Indies
Group B - South Africa, Sri Lanka, England, New Zealand

As all participating nations are regular test-playing nations, with no new comers, it is expected that all the 15 matches will be well contested. It is hoped that this tournament breathes much needed life into a format that many experts feel is fast losing ground to the instant thrills provided by the T20 format.