India to play Pakistan in Champions Trophy

Wednesday, 22 August 2012 03:03 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

India will take on South Africa in the opening game of the 2013 Champions Trophy in England, the last time the tournament will be held. Two other big draws in the group stages are India versus Pakistan on June 12, and Australia playing New Zealand on June 15, both at Edgbaston.

The top eight in the ICC ODI rankings will be competing in the tournament, starting June 6 next year, divided into two groups of four each. Apart from Edgbaston, also the venue for the final, Cardiff and The Oval will stage the group games as well as the semi-finals.

Group A features defending champions Australia, England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka; Group B includes world champions India, Pakistan, South Africa and West Indies. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals, to be held on June 19 and 20. The final will be played on June 23.

“This will be an incredible opportunity for fans to see the world’s very best one-day sides in action over the space of less than three weeks and the fixture schedule has thrown up a host of exciting head-to-head contests,” Steve Elworthy, the tournament director, said. “The format means every match counts and all eight teams will feel that they are capable of winning the tournament in a competition which is set to be one of the highlights of the 2013 summer.”

The tournament does not appear in the Future Tournament Program after 2013, with the ICC moving towards having one championship for each of the game’s three formats from 2015.