The main cricket event of the summer gets underway later this week when the ICC Champions Trophy begins at The Oval on Thursday. The best eight 50 over sides in the world descend on England looking to win the quick fire shootout in what has the making of being a wonderful tournament.
Defending champions India will be looking to retain their crown while the world champions Australia will fancy their chances but the beauty of this event is that all eight sides start out with every chance of lifting the trophy.
Recent Winners
2013 – India
2009 – Australia
2006 – Australia
2004 – West Indies
2002 – India & Sri Lanka shared the title
2000 – New Zealand
1998 – South Africa
The Format
The eight sides have been split up into two groups of four with England, Australia, New Zealand and Bangladesh in Group A and India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and South Africa in Group B.
Each side plays the other three in their group once and at the end of that the top two in each group go through to the knockout stages with the final being played at The Oval on June 18. Each match will be 50 overs and in the knockout stages if there is a tie there will be a super over to decide the winner.
The Venues
Three venues are being used for this tournament. The Oval in London hosts the first match and the final while Edgbaston and Cardiff both have a semi-final each as well as a number of group matches.
Group A
England
Host nation and tournament favourites England are expected to win this competition which would be a stark contrast on their performance in the World Cup two years ago where they never even made it out of their group. Since then they have indulged a much more positive brand of cricket and head into the tournament in great form. They’ve been beaten finalists the last two times this tournament has been held here and can’t be ruled out to go one better.
Australia
The world champions Australia have been one of the best ODI sides of this generation and they will be heading to England believing that they can win the tournament. A side with plenty of wicket takers in their ranks are always going to be dangerous and with a batting line up as powerful as anything in the competition they are going to be tough to beat.
New Zealand
The 2015 World Cup finalists will be looking to go one better in this tournament and win the competition for the second time. They are another side with a solid bowling attack and they play the underdog role perfectly. If their batting can stand up to big tests they could well sneak through the group and become very dangerous.
Bangladesh
Without a doubt the most improved side in the last few years are Bangladesh and they make their first appearance in the event in 2006 and are fully justified in doing so. This young side have some really solid batsmen who can take any attack apart and if their own bowling attack can deliver they might surprise the big boys again just like they did two years ago when they knocked England out of the World Cup.
Group B
India
The defending champions India head into the tournament devoid of too much 50 over cricket in recent times but they have dieted on that format of the game for long enough in the last 10 years that I don’t expect it to make too much difference. Most people write India off in English conditions but those days are gone now. They have the attack to compete in England and the longer the tournament goes on the more dangerous they will become when the pitches begin to turn.
Pakistan
Who knows what we will get with Pakistan in this tournament. They can be brilliant one match and awful the next although Mickey Arthur has installed a discipline in them as coach and Sarfraz Khan pulls the right strings when he is leading the side. Pakistan’s bowling attack will never come under question. Their success will be defined by their batting.
Sri Lanka
Written off well in advance of the tournament might suit Sri Lanka nicely but we shouldn’t remember that it was only six years ago they were in the World Cup final and would have won it but for an MS Dhoni masterclass. Senior players have left since them but a good crop of young batsmen have been in place for a while. They will need the guile in their bowling attack to come good for two weeks but if it does this lot could have a say in the event.
South Africa
The number one ranked side in the world heading into this tournament are South Africa and they will be looking to peak at the right time after their series with England over the last week. South Africa mix out and out pace with a plethora of all-rounders to provide good batting depth and plenty of bowling options which makes them very hard to beat. The Proteas don’t lose many matches in this format and if they can put their tournament mental baggage to one side this could be the year this great generation of South African cricketers land silverware at long last.
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Betting
This is one of my favourites in world cricket not just because it is done and dusted in three weeks which is how it should be but because the best play the best in every match. It is a cliché which is overused but you can make a case for an awful lot of these.
The case for England is an obvious one while Australia and South Africa can never truly be ruled out, and indeed I think Australia will go really well, but I do think there has been a forgotten side heading into the tournament and that is India. They are my pick for this.
India have a batting line up to die for especially if Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli hit top form. Where I think they have a big chance is with the ball where they now have a seam attack worthy of the name. We know what their spinners bring to the party and the longer the tournament goes on the more they will come into play while the likes of Hardik Pandya and Ravi Jadeja offer serious batting depth.
There are world class players everywhere you look in this Indian side and at 9/2, especially with them in the potentially easier looking group of the two, I’m with them to retain their title in just under three weeks.
Tips
Back India to win ICC Champions Trophy for a 3/10 stake at 5.50 with BetBright
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