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The seventh ICC Champions Trophy will commence in England next Tuesday (June 4) when India takes on tournament favourites South Africa at Cardiff.
Champions Australia play England two days later at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
Having won the Trophy in 2009-10 and 2006-07, Michael Clarke’s men would like to pull off a hat-trick of wins at the final in Birmingham on June 23.
But would not this Champions Trophy be a distraction for the Australians trying to regain the Ashes? Fifty-over matches do not provide ideal practice for Test cricket.
On the contrary!
Last week, some Roarers had roasted me when I had described IPL Twenty20 matches as meaningless because they are exhibition club matches with stellar and spectator-gratification rather than for the good of the game.
The Champions Trophy, on the other hand, provides genuine competition between eight Test playing countries: Australia, England, Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Group A, and South Africa, India, Pakistan and the West Indies in Group B.
But then what’s the difference between the World Cup and Champions Trophy? Why is Champions Trophy (CT) necessary? The last World Cup was staged in the Indian subcontinent in 2011 and the next will be held in Australasia in 2015.
World Cups every four years provide global excitement. Then why bring in CT in between? When previewing the CT in England in 2004, Wisden had written, “the tournament veers between the two most important in world cricket [and] is a ludicrous waste of time.”
I agree. Do you?
CT was the brain child of India’s Jagmohan Dalmia, the ICC President in late 1990s. The purpose was to spread cricket to emerging nations and raise money for ICC to pump more money to poor countries.
The first two CTs satisfied this criterion.
It was inaugurated in Bangladesh in 1998-99 (with South Africa winning the Trophy). The next was held in Kenya in 2000-01 and was won by New Zealand. But since then it was held in major Test-playing countries; Sri Lanka, the West Indies, India and South Africa.
The number of participating countries fell from 12 in 2002-03 and in 2004 to 10 in 2006-07 and 8 in 2009-10.
This year only eight countries will participate in the CT held in England. Excluded are the emerging nations. Even Bangladesh and Zimbabwe are on the outer. So in which way is CT helping the emerging nations?
Isn’t it time, we drop the CT and other pointless tournaments like hot potatoes and concentrate on Test cricket, first-class domestic and tour matches, World Cup and ICC T20 World Cup?
Now to Australia’s matches in the CT 2013. After two practice matches in Cardiff, against West Indies on Saturday and against India next Wednesday, they will play England in Birmingham on June 8, New Zealand also in Birmingham on June 12 and Sri Lanka on June 17.
The top two teams from each group will meet in semi-finals on June 19 and 20 and the final will be played on June 23. Thus there will be many sleepless nights for those interested in ODIs before the main course, the Ashes, is served in July.
The Aussie squad for CT 2013: Michael Clarke (capt), George Bailey (vice-capt), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Xavier Doherty, James Faulkner, Phil Hughes, Mitchell Johnson, Clint McKay, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Adam Voges, Matthew Wade (wk), David Warner and Shane Watson.
It should be remembered that Watson was the Man of the Final of CT 2009-10 after scoring 105 runs which was behind Australia’s 6-wicket win over New Zealand in Centurion, South Africa.
Watson was also named Man of IPL-6 series last Sunday.
Finally, a query for the Roarers: the Australian squad includes three players whose first name is Mitchell; batsman Marsh and fast bowlers Johnson and Starc. Has it happened before?