Starting four months today the top eight One-Day International sides in the world will get together for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 in England and Wales.
The opening match on 1st June will pit England, the host, against Bangladesh at The Oval in London, which is one of three venues that will be used for the tournament.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2017 is scheduled to end on June 18 (with a reserve day in place), when the finalists face off at The Oval. Edgbaston and Cardiff will be the other two venues to share the responsibility of staging the 15-match tournament.
So to mark the countodwn to the first match of #CT17, ICC take a look at five things to whet the appetite ahead of the 18 day bonanza of ODI cricket.
1- Every Match Counts: The eight teams will be divided into two groups of four; each will play the three other sides in their respective group once in a bid to make it to the semi-finals. The short and intense nature of the tournament makes it such that there will be high stakes on the outcome of every match with every match absolutely crucial.
2 - Lots of runs: Going by the trend in the recent bilateral series between India and England, the modern ODI game continues to be conducive to heavy run-scoring and fans can expect much of the same at the ICC Champions Trophy 2017. In the most recent ODI series in England, against Pakistan, the host posted 444 in the third ODI. In the fifth game, Pakistan successfully responded to England's 302 for 9 by scoring 304 for 6 in 48.2 overs in Cardiff, one of the venues of the tournament. It’s likely there will be runs aplenty
3 - The Next Generation:Several exciting young players can be expected to make their global 50-over tournament debuts. In the bowling department, Bangladesh's Mustafizur Rahman, South Africa's Kagiso Rabada, India's Jasprit Bumrah and Australia's Adam Zampa are some of the names to keep an eye out for. Among batsmen, India's Kedar Jadhav, Pakistan's Babar Azam, England's Sam Billings and Jason Roy fit the bill, while Mitchell Santner from New Zealand and Marcus Stoinis from Australia are among the more promising all-rounders yet to feature in a marquee 50-over tournament.
4 - Open nature of tournament:This looks like it could be the most competitive ICC Champions Trophy of all time with little to choose between all eight sides. Pakistan — ranked No. 8 — recently won an ODI against No. 1 ranked Australia on their home-soil in a further indication that no game can be taken for granted. Across the board, teams have adopted a more aggressive, fearless approach towards the 50-over game, which has helped bring down the chasm between the teams. On account of the sharp and uncompromising format of the tournament coupled with the qualitative similarity of teams, the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 can be expected to deliver intense competition.
5 - Bangladesh's return to Champions Trophy:The Bangladesh Tigers haven’t qualified for the ICC Champions Trophy since the 2006 edition. Much has changed for the team in the last two years. Its defeat of England to make it to the knockouts of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 deserves special mention. It then went on a winning spree in the format defeating Pakistan, India and South Africa in successive ODI series at home. It is ranked No. 7 — one above Pakistan — and kept West Indies out of the competition. It is yet to prove its credentials overseas, and this tournament presents it with the ideal opportunity.
Whatever happens, it’s going to be a memorable tournament, roll on June 1st 2017. CLICK HERE to secure your tickets for the tournament including four games in Cardiff
Article first published on the new look ICC website, take a look: www.icc-cricket.com