The ICC Champions Trophy 2017 is taking place between 1st June and 18th June 2017. It is the 8th edition of this tournament. Like every other year, eight teams have qualified for this mega cricketing tournament. The cutoff date for the determination of top 8 teams was 30th September 2015.
Top 8 Eights for ICC Champions Trophy 2017
This edition of ICC Champions Trophy 2017 is featuring eight teams. However, West Indies was not able to qualify for this edition of the Champions Trophy. The West Indian fans will sorely miss players like Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, and Chris Gayle.
These are the eight teams which qualified for ICC Champions Trophy 2017.
- Pakistan
- India
- Australia
- England
- Bangladesh
- Sri Lanka
- New Zealand
- South Africa
Security at the ICC Champions Trophy 2017
ICC has become a lot more careful after the recent tragic incident at Manchester. ICC has reiterated its commitment to the safety of the event. The ICC and ECB are jointly working to ensure the security at the cricketing event.
Tournament Security Directorate will work with the relevant authorities to take care of the situation. The ICC Tournament Director Steve Elworthy said that the current security plan is in line with the overall threat perception in the UK.
Venues of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017
England will host the ICC Champions Trophy 2017. The ICC has selected three venues for this tournament. The Oval, Sophia Gardens, and Edgbaston Cricket Ground will host all the matches.
India’s Late Announcement of Squad
ICC had set the deadline of 25th April for all teams to announce their squads. However, India was not able to announce its team by the cut-off date. India gave the reason that some operational delays were behind its inability to announce the team timely.
By 4th May 2017, India was not able to announce its team. Therefore, BCCI had to convene a special meeting on 7th May 2017 to discuss the matter. Finally, the India announced its team on 8th May 2017. The demolition of the big three model had a severe impact on India’s monopoly over cricket. It had earlier threatened to boycott the ICC Champions Trophy 2017.
Total Matches
A total of 15 games is going to be played in this tournament.
The eight teams will play in Group A and Group B.
Group A will have the following teams.
- Australia
- Bangladesh
- England
- New Zealand
Group B will have these teams contesting for the trophy.
- India
- South Africa
- Sri Lanka
- Pakistan
Semi-Finals
The two semi-finals will be played on 14th and 15th June 2017. The venue for the first semi-final is Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. Edgbaston in Birmingham will host the second semi-final match.
Final
The final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 is going to be held on 18th June 2017 at The Oval, London.
Favorites of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017
At this time, India and Australia are considered two favorites of the tournament. Australia is the only team that won the tournament twice. New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies, Sri Lanka, and India have won the tournament once.
