Last held in England in 2013, a wonderful tournament was won by India in a rain delayed final against hosts England in Birmingham, as Alistair Cook’s men failed to stop India completing the ‘double’ after winning the world cup in 2011.
This time round though, England, have had a change of mentality and players since 2013 and the horrific 2015 world cup in Australia, where they were thrashed by Australia and New Zealand, which resulted in coach Peter Moores and captain Alistair Cook stepping down from their roles.
With Eoin Morgan in charge for the past few seasons under the watchful eye of new coach Trevor Bayliss, England’s resurgence in the 50 over game has taken a turn for the better.
Players such as Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Jason Roy, who were all on duty in the recent IPL, are back for the 50 over series with South Africa, before the tournament begins.
With stars from the top eight countries in the world, all competing in 2 groups of 4, with the top 2 going through to the semi-finals, before the Oval final showpiece on June 18, its sure to be a summer of cricketing entertainment.
Fixtures – Group Games;
1 June – England v Bangladesh – Oval – 10.30
2 June – New Zealand v Australia – Edgbaston – 10.30
3 June – Sri Lanka v South Africa – Oval – 10.30
4 June – India v Pakistan – Edgbaston – 10.30
5 June – Australia v Bangladesh – Oval – 13.30
6 June – England v New Zealand – Cardiff – 10.30
7 June – Pakistan v South Africa – Edgbaston – 13.30
8 June – India v Sri Lanka – Oval – 10.30
9 June – New Zealand v Bangladesh – Cardiff – 10.30
10 June – England v Australia – Edgbaston – 10.30
11 June – India v South Africa – Oval – 10.30
12 June – Sri Lanka v Pakistan – Cardiff – 10.30
Semi-Finals;
14 June – Cardiff – 10.30
15 June – Edgbaston – 10.30
Final – 18 June – Oval – 10.30
For tickets and further information about the tournament, head to:
www.icc-cricket.com/champions-trophy/fixtures
