India to start Champions Trophy campaign against Pakistan

India will start their 2017 Champions Trophy campaign against Pakistan at Edgbaston, the International Cricket Council announced on Wednesday (June 1). The opening clash of the tournament will see England, the hosts, take on Bangladesh. The tournament will start on June 1, 2017 and the final will be played on June 18 at the Oval.

India and Pakistan have been placed in Group B with Sri Lanka and South Africa. 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 two semifinals will be held in Cardiff and Edgbaston on June 14 and 15 respectively, while the final will be on June 18 at the Oval in London.

The top eight teams from the ICC One-Day International rankings till September 30, 2015, have qualified for this tournament, where in, Bangladesh managed to pip West Indies to seal a berth.

"The ICC Champions Trophy is a short and sharp event, which is followed and enjoyed by the spectators and players alike," David Richardson, the ICC chief executive, said. "The ICC Champions Trophy 2017 is not just an ODI competition, it carries a great deal of value since it is being played just three months before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 qualification cut-off date. As such, every point earned here could be crucial.

"The announcement of the ICC Champions Trophy schedule 12 months before the start of the event will provide sufficient time to all eight sides to plan for the tournament and arrive in England geared up so that they can collect enough points to directly qualify for the 2019 extravaganza.

"The ICC Champions Trophy will also be the first of three global tournaments the England and Wales Cricket Board will be hosting over the next three years. Immediately after the ICC Champions Trophy, the ICC Women's World Cup will be staged while the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, the pinnacle of the 50-over format, will be held in 2019.

"These three competitions will provide the culturally diverse society of the United Kingdom as well as travelling fans from across the globe an opportunity to watch live action and follow their favourite players and sides."


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Groups:

Group A: Australia, New Zealand, England and Bangladesh.

Group B: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and South Africa.

Schedule:

June 1 - England v Bangladesh, The Oval (d)

June 2 - Australia v New Zealand, Edgbaston (d)

June 3 - Sri Lanka v South Africa, The Oval (d)

June 4 - India v Pakistan, Edgbaston (d)

June 5 - Australia v Bangladesh, The Oval (d/n)

June 6 - England v New Zealand, Cardiff (d)

June 7 - Pakistan v South Africa, Edgbaston (d/n)

June 8 - India v Sri Lanka, The Oval (d)

June 9 - New Zealand v Bangladesh, Cardiff (d)

June 10 - England v Australia, Edgbaston (d)

June 11 - India v South Africa, The Oval (d)

June 12 - Sri Lanka v Pakistan, Cardiff (d)

June 14 - First semi-final (A1 v B2), Cardiff (d)

June 15 - Second semi-final (A2 v B1), Edgbaston (d)

June 18- Final, The Oval (d)

June 19 - Reserve day (d)

Note - (d) denotes day games. (d/n) denotes day-night clashes.