Though a bilateral series between India and Pakistan looks impossible at this stage, the International Cricket Council is unknowingly making sure that the quench of the two nations fans is satisfied by organizing an Indo-Pak match during the Champions Trophy 2017, to be held in England. India will kick start its campaign against Pakistan on June 4th, 2017 at Edgbaston.
India and Pakistan, along with South Africa and Srilanka have been placed in Group B, whereas Australia, New Zealand, England and Bangladesh have been placed in Group A.
Sri Lanka and South Africa, the other two teams in India’s group, will face off on June 3 while the fans from Australia and New Zealand will be able to enjoy their respective teams take on each other on June 2 at Edgbaston.
The tournament is scheduled to start on June 1st, 2017 and will end on June 18th, 2017. The final match of the Champions Trophy tournament will be held at the Oval. On the other hand, the two semi-finals will be held at Cardiff and Edgbaston respectively.
According to the ICC rules, the top eight teams as per the ICC One-day rankings on September 30, 2015 will qualify for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017. Interestingly, Bangladesh has managed to get into the 8th slot, ranking ahead of West Indies.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Mr David Richardson, the CEO of the ICC said “The Champions Trophy is a short and sharp game, you cannot take any match easy here. It is not just a ODI tournament, it carries a great value as the tournament will be played just three months before the cut-off date for the ICC World Cup. This will impact the team rankings and i hope, that every team will be gearing up for the intense competition ahead”.
