ICC Champions Trophy
| File:Champions Trophy 2006.gif Logo of the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy | |
| Administrator | International Cricket Council |
|---|---|
| Format | One Day International |
| First edition | 1998 |
| Tournament format | Round Robin (current) Knock-out (previously) |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Current champion |  Australia |
| Most successful | 6 teams with 1 title |
The ICC Champions Trophy is a One Day International cricket tournament, second in importance only to the Cricket World Cup. It was inaugurated as the ICC Knock Out tournament in 1998 and has been played every two years since, changing its name to the Champions Trophy in 2002. Originally, all ten full members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) took part, together with (for the first four competitions) two associate members. From 2008, this will be changed to the 8 highest-ranked ODI teams as placed 6 months out from the tournament.
Format
The Champions Trophy differs from the World Cup in a number of ways. The Champions Trophy takes place every two years, while the World Cup is held every four years. The matches in the Champions Trophy are held over a period of around two weeks, while the World Cup can last for over a month. Unlike the World Cup, no team plays another more than once in the Champions Trophy. For 2002 and 2004, twelve teams played a round robin tournament in four pools of three, with the top team in each pool moving forward to the semi-final). A team would play only four games (two in the pool, semi-final and final) to win the tournament. In 2006, eight teams played in two pools of four, with the top two teams in each pool playing in the semi-finals. Losing even a single match would potentially mean elimination from the tournament.
The format used in the Knock Out tournaments differed from the formats used in the Champions Trophy. The competition was a straight knock out, with no pools and the loser in each game being eliminated. Only 8 games were played in 1998, and 10 games in 2000. The Australian team lost to India early on in both tournaments and was critical of the format, since a losing team was given no second chance.
Results
The first two tournaments, in 1998 and 2000, were intended to raise the profile of the game in the host nations, Bangladesh and Kenya.
1998 ICC Knock Out tournament
All of the matches in the 1998 ICC Knock Out were played in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The tournament started with a preliminary match between New Zealand and Zimbabwe to decide which would proceed to the Quarter Finals. The tournament was won by South Africa, who beat West Indies in the final.
2000 ICC Knock Out tournament
All of the matches in the 2000 tournament were played in Nairobi, Kenya. There were three qualifying matches before the Quarter Finals, involving Kenya, India, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Bangladesh and England. The tournament was won by New Zealand who beat India in the final.
2002 ICC Champions Trophy
The 2002 ICC Champions Trophy was held in Sri Lanka, and the 12 teams included Netherlands and Kenya. The final between India and Sri Lanka was washed out twice to leave no result. Consequently, the ICC Champions Trophy for the year 2002 was jointly awarded to India and Sri Lanka.
2004 ICC Champions Trophy
The 2004 ICC Champions Trophy was held in England in September 2004. Fifteen matches were held, spread over sixteen days, at three venues: Edgbaston, The Rose Bowl and The Oval. Twelve teams competed, including Kenya and the USA. West Indies won the tournament final against England by two wickets to take the trophy.
2006 ICC Champions Trophy
The 2006 ICC Champions Trophy was held in India with the final on November 5, 2006. A new format was used. Eight teams were competing in the group phase: the top six teams in the ICC ODI Championship on 1 April 2006, plus two teams chosen from the other four Test-playing teams Sri Lanka, West Indies, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, chosen from a pre-tournament round robin qualifying round. West Indies and Sri Lanka qualified ahead of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.
The eight teams were then split into two groups of four in a round robin competition. While Australia and West Indies qualified from Group A, South Africa and New Zealand qualified from Group B for semifinals. Australia and West Indies reached Finals defeating New Zealand and South Africa, respectively. In the finals, Australia beat West Indies by 8 wickets to win the trophy for the first time. The venues for the tournament were Mohali, Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Mumbai.
Future Tournaments Locations
In 2006, the ICC selected Pakistan to host the 2008 ICC Champions Trophy. The West Indies will host the 2010 ICC Champions Trophy.[1]
On the 24th of August 2008 it was announced that the 2008 ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan has been postponed, and is to be reinstated to the 2009 season, resulting in many rescheduled tests.
Table
| Year | Venue | Winner | Runners up | Format | Final Venue | Crowd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 |  Bangladesh
|
 South Africa
|
 West Indies
|
Knockout | Bangabandhu National Stadium | TBA |
| 2000 |  Kenya
|
 New Zealand
|
 India
|
Knockout | Nairobi Gymkhana Club | TBA |
| 2002 |  Sri Lanka
|
Sri Lanka India
|
- | Round robin | R. Premadasa Stadium | TBA |
| 2004 |  England
|
West Indies
|
England
|
Round robin | The Oval | TBA |
| 2006 | India
|
Australia
|
West Indies
|
Round robin | Brabourne Stadium | TBA |
| 2009 |  Pakistan
|
Postponed | - | Round robin | Gaddafi Stadium | - |
| 2010 | West Indies
|
TBD | TBD | TBD | TBC | TBA |
.
References
- 2006 Champions Trophy Site - [1]
| Forms |
| _Current.svg) |
|---|---|---|
| Global events | ||
| Asia | ||
| Africa | ||
| Americas | ||
| East Asia and Pacific | ||
| Europe | ||
| Other | ||
Italics indicate a defunct competition. | ||