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Following an eight-year hiatus, the Champions Trophy returns for its ninth edition this week, with Pakistan hosting its first ICC tournament in nearly three decades.
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The eight participating nations qualified via their performances during the 2023 World Cup in India – which is why Sri Lanka and the Netherlands aren’t involved, having finished ninth and tenth on the standings respectively. The ICC has also announced that this year’s victors would receive AU$3.5 million in prize money, an additional incentive for the eight competing nations.
However, the Champions Trophy’s relevance has remained a source of debate over the last decade as administrators grapple with how the competition fits in the sport’s modern landscape.
Interest in the Champions Trophy has ebbed and flowed since its inaugural edition in Bangladesh in 1998, when revenue was allocated to the development of non-Test playing nations. But as T20 cricket grew in popularity during the late 2000s, the ICC’s enthusiasm for the Champions Trophy dwindled.
After Pakistan won the previous edition of the tournament in 2017, the ICC announced the Champions Trophy would be scrapped for 2021 and replaced by an additional T20 World Cup. Returning in 2025, the Champions Trophy has failed to shake its perception as the World Cup’s little cousin, with fewer teams and less grandeur.
With men’s World Cups occurring three times every four years, the oversaturation of ICC tournaments has taken the shine off their pertinence, with lower-tier competitions carrying less gravitas. As the 50-over format struggles to attract eyeballs, the tournament’s long-term future remains up in the air.
Last year, the ICC discussed the potential of converting the Champions Trophy into a T20 tournament to make it more appealing to fans and broadcasters, which remains a possibility for future editions of the competition.
“For me, the Champions Trophy is a critically important tournament,” former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson told reporters last month.
“The one-day World Cup is only every four years and the Champions Trophy was great because it broke up those four years. It was a special tournament from a playing perspective because there was always something riding on every single game.
“When you’re playing bilateral series throughout the year, it can get a bit stale … but when you play an ICC event with eight teams, there is something riding on every ball.
“It’s an awesome tournament and I’ve got incredible memories.”
Despite its flaws, the Champions Trophy does supply another chance for India and Pakistan to lock horns on the international stage. The two Asian nations have not played any bilateral cricket in more than 12 years, with the rivals only facing off at ICC events.
The blockbuster contest, which has already sold out, will take place in the United Arab Emirates, as will each of India’s matches throughout the Champions Trophy. Ahead of the tournament, the ICC announced a hybrid model for major events held in either India or Pakistan that would see matches between the two nations hosted by the UAE.
“It’s unfortunate that things have worked out that way, but what everyone loves watching is the India-Pakistan games,” Watson continued.
“Whenever they come together, it’s really special.
“No cricket fan wants to miss that game and it is unfortunate that India aren’t travelling to Pakistan, but that’s just the way it is right now.”
For Australia, the Champions Trophy looms as an opportunity to extend its golden 24 months, which includes a maiden World Test Championship title, retaining the Ashes in England, lifting the World Cup in India and winning back the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Two-time champions Australia have not won a Champions Trophy match since 2009, knocked out in the group stage in the previous two editions of the tournament.
During the 2013 Champions Trophy, David Warner was infamously fined and suspended after punching England batter Joe Root at Walkabout Birmingham – casual Australian cricket fans would struggle to recall anything else that happened during the tournament.
The Champions Trophy lasts only 19 days, with each nation playing three matches before the semi-finals. The event’s brevity allows it to be squeezed into gaps in the sport’s crowded calendar without impeding on high-paying T20 leagues.
“Champions Trophy is a completely different challenge as compared to the 50-over World Cup because literally every game is a make-or-break, so you can’t stop anywhere in this tournament,” Indian coach Gautam Gambhir said.
“If you want to go on and win the competition, you have to win five games.”
Australian captain Steve Smith. Photo by Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFPSource: AFPFORMAT
The Champions Trophy consists of two groups of four teams, with the top two nations from each pool qualifying for the knockouts.
The winner of each group will face the second-placed team from the other group in the semi-finals, with the victors progressing through to the decider.
FIXTURES
All matches start 8pm AEDT
19 February – Pakistan vs New Zealand, Karachi
20 February – Bangladesh vs India, Dubai
21 February – Afghanistan vs South Africa, Karachi
22 February – Australia vs England, Lahore
23 February – Pakistan vs India, Dubai
24 February – Bangladesh vs New Zealand, Rawalpindi
25 February – Australia vs South Africa, Rawalpindi
26 February – Afghanistan vs England, Lahore
27 February – Pakistan vs Bangladesh, Rawalpindi
28 February – Afghanistan vs Australia, Lahore
1 March – South Africa vs England, Karachi
2 March – New Zealand vs India, Dubai
4 March – Semi-final 1 (A1 vs B2), Dubai
5 March – Semi-final 2 (B1 vs A2), Lahore
9 March – Final, Location TBC
10 March – Reserve day
PREVIOUS WINNERS
1998 – South Africa
2000 – New Zealand
2002 – India and Sri Lanka
2004 – West Indies
2006 – Australia
2009 – Australia
2013 – India
2017 – Pakistan
Australia hold the Champions Trophy in 2009. AP Photo / Karel PrinslooSource: APSQUADS
Afghanistan
Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Farid Malik, Naveed Zadran
Australia
Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa
Bangladesh
Nazmul Hossain Shanto (c), Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali Anik, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Parvez Hossai Emon, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana
England
Jos Buttler (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Tom Banton, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood
India
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.
New Zealand
Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young.
Pakistan
Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi
South Africa
Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Corbin Bosch
