Champions Trophy 2017 semi-finals: Schedule, Teams, Venues, and Timings

England, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan are the top 4 teams of CT 2017.

Published - 13 Jun 2017, 00:50 IST | Updated - 13 Jun 2017, 00:50 IST

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The league matches of Champions Trophy 2017 concluded with the clash between Sri Lanka and Pakistan where the latter won a dramatic contest to seal a spot in the top 4. Pakistan will now meet England in the first semi-final while the Men in Blue will play underdogs Bangladesh in the second semi-final.

During the group stage, England won all their 3 matches establishing their dominion in the tournament. They look confident to win their second ICC tournament, after winning the World T20 in 2009. Led by Eoin Morgan, the hosts have left no stones unturned in preparing for the showpiece event. The Three Lions have incredible firepower at the top and with the services of their wicketkeeper and hard-hitting batsman Jos Buttler and skipper Eoin Morgan, their batting unit is quite a force to reckon with.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, finished with 3 points; captained by Mashrafe Mortaza, is in the last-four stage of an ICC event for the first time. Defending champions India, however, had to wait till their final group match to seal the semis berth. The Men in Blue, led by skipper Virat Kohli defeated the Proteas by 8 wickets in the virtual quarter-final at The Oval in London.

The last edition (2013) saw India, under the leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, win the rain-hit final by 5 runs against England. The title decider was reduced to 20 overs per side. India will be aiming to do an encore of that performance.

Pakistan was the last team to make it to the semis and it was an enthralling contest that they won on the back of the brilliance of their skipper Sarfraz Ahmed and Mohammad Amir who stitched a brilliant 75-run 8th wicket partnership to chase down Sri Lanka’s 236 they themselves made look like a mountain. They have secured two good wins in the last two matches but inconsistency and unpredictability will worry them as well as England since they don’t know exactly what to expect from the opposition.