Introduction
Perhaps, two most important competitions in cricket alone by virtue alone of the very basic fact that where this tournament goes on, everything else in this world comes more or less to a grinding halt, holding one’s breath, as if holding one’s life.
Popularity in “Mini World Cup,” mighty teams fight for the world’s best here. Being an ardent fan or joining the game; one is sure to take back something with him, and that alone makes passion for the game go sky-high.
There is much to be said if one can take everything back home from where it all began by the ICC Champions Trophy.
In the article ahead, let us take you through everything you need to know about the ICC Champions Trophy, history, format, top teams, and the moments that make the difference.
What is the ICC Champions Trophy?
It is the international cricket tournament, mostly known under the banner of International Cricket Council, popularly abbreviated as ICC. The base of the ICC Champions Trophy dates back to 1998 when the crème de la crème gathered to host matches that sent cold chills throughout the spines of sports lovers across the globe.
The ICC Cricket World Cup is only second to this ICC Champions Trophy, and such is the cricketing tournament around the world that other tournaments are mainly cherished after this.
This ICC Champions Trophy has developed with the passage of time in form though not in substance while playing and winning to become glorious for that battle.
ICC Champions Trophy: Early History
The inaugural version of the tournament took place in the year 1998 and was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh.They were known by the generic name of the ICC KnockOut tournament. Once they were introduced eight teams have been battling each other to the absolute extent in one-match encounters.
It was taken away so far only by one team that is India who successfully sealed off South Africa in the final match.So it became the ICC Champions Trophy. Still, it remained biennial. After every two to four years of play.
The time had more teams to participate in. The format would change but that was an event which would continue staying in the hearts of the audience, always. ICC Champions Trophy format
The ICC Champions Trophy was played in a variety of formats, with changing editions but mainly in the round-robin group-stage format, followed by some knockout rounds, semi-finals, and a final.
The number of participating teams varied between 8 and 12, while the top nation only was invited to play.
The teams have played more than two years to have four in each group that play against one another. From this group, each group will vote two teams at the top qualification for semi-finals. Since there is one game after semi-finals, automatically a winner emerges as a champion.
The teams that appear in the competition of ICC Champions Trophy
A few cricketing nations are called to drop in. These are those teams that top the list of ICC’s ODI Rankings, thus automatically qualifying for that position in the list. The rest, popularly called India, Australia, Pakistan, South Africa, and England.
Anyway, after all, at times the great ones do see each other levels of the pathetic, and definitely, one sees his dose of mixed bag-it goes thrilling on some days, and at other times, quite a predictable course.
Historical Background of ICC Champions Trophy Participants: India-is one of the most successful teams in the tournament’s history. So far, Indian has clinched it two times (in 2002 and 2013).
Australians. The Australian team is a monopoly in the long run. It did prove to be one of the fighting teams major during the Championships that were won in the year 2006 and 2009. Pakistan- Pakistan is reminding the lash back in 2017, as it left with the triumph of the title over India with the last minutes of ICC Champions Trophy.
South Africa – The semifinals have been achieved very often. Will not win Sri Lanka – Good in the performance of the show of ICC Champions Trophy. Won the final two times it has been done in the year 2002 and once in 2006.
Some important event in the history of the ICC Champions Trophy
The ICC Champions Trophy became the arena of the world’s most magnificent memories in the game of cricket. Some thrillers, improbable upsets and records, so here is a list of fond memories for the viewers along history:
At times the tournament went at its best with the most spectacular one being the Indian 2002 Split Title. This was when the match between India and Sri Lanka towards the end went off and both had to be named as joint champions of the same.
Supremacy of Australia in 2006 In the year 2006, it was championed by Australia as they defeated West Indies in the final. To them, this was their second ICC Champions Trophy and they played out very correctly in the game of cricket.
It was the ICC Champions Trophy, and assured victory was marked for the final match of the 2017 encounter between Pakistan and India.
All was good to become an upset chapter in competition histories, as in the annals of history that one will indeed become championship winner in Pakistan. India Won in the Year 2013-In the year 2013, India had a chance to host this trophy through winning the title of ICC Champions Trophy.
It did so and then the team could have won back their victory against England also in the final match as well. By winning again India could hold a title of the ICC from its success list due to which victories India has captured under the supervision of MS Dhoni.
Toughest Rivals of All Time for the ICC Champions Trophy
So many cricketers appeared over the years and marked their presence through their performances in the ICC Champions Trophy. The best players of them who played in the tournament include the following:
- Virat Kohli (India):He was one of the most influencing factors for India’s win in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, who was always famous for his consistency and the capacity to chase impossible targets.
- Jacques Kallis (South Africa):He is one of the great all-rounders in the history of cricket who played a huge role with his team for winning this tournament.
- Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) :He gave a lot by both bat and ball for Pakistan as they won in 2017 and in the final.
- Shane Watson (Australia): All-round performances came by Shane Watson in all full and actual fruition to the success story of Australia when the 2009 Champions Trophy took place; he was an outstanding player then.
MS Dhoni was yet another former Skipper MS Dhoni of India who once led India to a thriller match victory during the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy and was proved to be a true vindication of his leadership skills and temperament.
ICC Champions Trophy and World Cricket
The ICC Champions Trophy is pretty much making its mark on cricket. It gives the world’s finest teams the right platform, and everybody gets to watch them play and build up interest worldwide.
Apart from entertainment, the tournament provided the game international exposure that made cricket popular to other countries; especially developing countries where the game has only budding grounds.
Many teams around the globe were given a chance of sharing with each other and also gave an idea of friendly international relations.
Why the ICC Champions Trophy so Popular
Why ICC Champions Trophy is the hottest Cricketing event in the world with the following facts:
- High-Quality Competition: This event is about the top-of-the-line cricketing countries which means that each and every match is always going to be thrilling and full of competitive affairs.
- Thrilling Finals:The final matches for the ICC Champions Trophy are nervously dramatic. Unpredictable turns make them impossible to forget
- Global Appeal:All the world cricketers feature in this event and that is the reason why ICC Champions Trophy gets the viewership across all the cricketing nations.
- Exciting Format :Round robin group stages coupled with knockout stages make it exciting as each match matters.
Future of ICC Champions Trophy
As it is with the case of any successful edition, no future of the ICC Champions Trophy is under consideration.
It was last staged in 2017. More focus has now been drawn upon the ICC World Cup and ICC World T20, so that not much about another edition of the tournament seems to be happening anytime soon.
However, the cricketing fraternity and followers had always been looking for this. And the kind of massive success that has come to this trophy and how much it has enthused cricket, definitely hope is there as it is sure that the ICC Champions Trophy will return back sooner rather than later.
Difference between ICC Champions Trophy and ICC World Cup
Although the ICC Champions Trophy is said to be the mini World Cup, yet there are quite a few differences between them:
- Number of teams: Generally the number of participating teams for ICC Champions Trophy is lesser than that of the ICC World Cup. While the World Cup has 10-16 teams, the Champions Trophy includes between 8-12 teams.
- Tournament Frequency:ICC Champions Trophy occurs relatively less than the ICC World Cup that occurs every four years.
- Format-Both the matches were of the same format but Champions Trophy used to carry less number of matches, and hence, most of the matches used to carry very high relevance towards the trophy.
Conclusion
The ICC Champions Trophy is still one of the most exciting and class tournament in the world of cricket. This had glorious past, marvelous history in finals, and fabulous performances by some of the greatest cricketers of the world that the tournament won a place within the hearts of cricketing lovers all around the world.
But whether its future belongs to anyone, its legacy remains on because of glorious memories it has created.
Whether you are a cricket fan or just someone who is just starting out in the game, an even basic understanding of what ICC Champions Trophy is all about should make it appreciate so much better.
Here’s hoping that the tournament returns soon and brings with it a few more such moments for the cricketing world.
