ICC Champions Trophy 2017: A look back at all previous winners

Four years have gone by since Ashwin bowled that final delivery to England’s James Tredwell, who failed to connect bat to ball, much to the delight of MS Dhoni behind the stumps. In an eventual 20-over game which was a result of the all too familiar English rains, India defeated the hosts at Edgbaston by 5 runs and triumphed the Champions Trophy. A young Indian side donned the white blazers to take the podium on the night of the final. MS Dhoni had finally earned the missing piece of silverware from his collection of ICC Trophies. As Dhoni lifted the Champions Trophy, India were crowned the undisputed Champions in the cricketing world. Lifting the World Cup has its own joys, but somewhere, the Champions Trophy in hand seems like a more prestigious affair. This tournament defines the winning team as the champion amongst champions, having overcome the top teams in the world. With the Champions Trophy 2017 round the corner, it calls for a jog down memory as we take a look at the previous editions of the mega-event. Here’s CricTracker’s quick recap of the Champions Trophy since its inception. #1 South Africa – 1998 (Photo Source: ICC) The tournament that is now termed the Champions Trophy found its origins in Bangladesh in 1998. The earliest edition was played in a knock-out format featuring nine teams. Surprisingly, it was South Africa who came out victorious. Their win in the 1998 event has remained the team’s only success in an ICC multi-team ODI event. Pitted against the West Indies in the final, the Proteas gunned down a target of 246 with four wickets in hand. Jacques Kallis, arguably the nation’s finest all-rounder, was instrumental in South Africa’s triumph. Kallis amassed 164 runs, which included a hundred against Sri Lanka in the semi-final. He was also the leading wicket-taker, bagging 8 scalps, including a five-wicket haul in the all-important final. For his all-round performance in the tournament, Kallis was adjudged the Player of the Tournament. #2 New Zealand – 2000 (Photo Source) Much like South Africa, New Zealand too recorded their only win at an ICC event till date in the 2000 ICC Knock-out Trophy. The event, which was hosted by Kenya, witnessed New Zealand and India progress to the final. Chasing 265, New Zealand were assisted by Chris Cairns who scored a fine hundred. Despite Indian skipper, Sourav Ganguly’s hundred and some brilliant bowling by Venkatesh Prasad, India ended up on the losing side. However, it was those two Indians who topped the charts in the two departments. Ganguly racked up 348 runs at a stunning average of 116, while Venkatesh Prasad finished with 8 wickets. #3 India and Sri Lanka (joint-winners) – 2002 (Photo Source) The year 2002 witnessed a slight tweak in the format of the tournament, which was now called the ICC Champions Trophy. Runners-up in 2000, India inched one step closer to claiming the title for themselves. The 12-team tournament boiled down to hosts Sri Lanka and India battling it out in the final. Unfortunately for both teams, rain quashed hopes of what could have been a great final. The hosts put up 244 in 50 overs. India responded with 14-0 when rain played spoilsport. Both teams were back on the reserve day, with Sri Lanka scoring 222 in their first innings. 8 overs into the chase, the rain gods once again interrupted, leaving India stranded at 38-1. Sourav Ganguly and Sanath Jayasuriya went on to share the trophy. India’s Virender Sehwag top-scored in the tournament with 271 runs under his belt, while Muttiah Muralitharan led the wicket-takers with 10 scalps. #4 West Indies – 2004 (Photo Source) England hosted the 2004 edition of the ICC Champions Trophy and did well to get to the final. Meanwhile, the West Indies overcame Pakistan in the semis to set up the summit clash against England. The Oval witnessed a low-scoring thriller, with England putting up a humbling 217 on the board. Despite reeling at 147 for 8, the West Indies scraped to victory thanks to a resilient stand by Courtney Browne and Ian Bradshaw. The duo put on an unbeaten 71-run partnership to hand West Indies their maiden Champions Trophy title. Although Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Flintoff were the leading run-scorer and the leading wicket-taker respectively, the player of the series award was given to Ramnaresh Sarwan. He amassed 166 runs at an average of 83 through the course of the tournament. #5 Australia – 2006 (Photo Source) The 2006 edition of the Champions Trophy saw Chris Gayle stamping his authority in world cricket. However, world champions Australia emerged as the winners that year. In a rain-affected match, Australia went on to defeat the West Indies by 8 wickets. Nevertheless, the leaders with both bat and ball were from the West Indies. Chris Gayle took the tournament by storm, amassing as many as 474 runs. On the other hand, Jerome Taylor led the Windies bowling line-up, bagging a total of 13 wickets. It was Australia however who extended their dominance in world cricket. #6 Australia – 2009 (Photo Source) The Aussie golden era continued, as they followed the 2007 World Cup victory by lifting the Champions Trophy for the second time. The Kangaroos went on to trump their neighbors New Zealand to retain the Champions Trophy. Shane Watson was the pillar in Australia’s 2009 triumph. The all-rounder smashed two brilliant centuries in the semi-final and the final to propel Australia to victory. Ricky Ponting dominated the run-scoring charts, with a total of 288 runs in the tournament. He was also awarded the Player of the Tournament for his fine performance with the bat. Meanwhile, South Africa’s Wayne Parnell picked up 11 wickets to become the leading wicket-taker in the tournament. #7 India – 2013 Shikhar Dhawan. (Photo by Christopher Lee-ICC/ICC via Getty Images) By the time the Champions Trophy returned for its 2013 edition, MS Dhoni had secured every major ICC trophy under his belt, save the Champions Trophy. However, Dhoni’s collection of silverware was complete following a victory over the hosts England in the final. India had a fantastic lead-up to the final, remaining unbeaten throughout the league stage of the tournament. As has been a common sight in England, rain reduced the final to a 20-over contest. India only managed to put up a below par score of 129. The English batsmen, namely Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara, were on course to hand England their maiden Champions Trophy title. However, a crucial spell from Ishant Sharma turned the tables on England, who fell short by 5 runs. South Africa’s Wayne Parnell once again established his dominance in the tournament with a total of 12 wickets. India’s Shikhar Dhawan, who was the team’s mainstay through the course of the Champions Trophy, amassed 363 runs to be adjudged the Player of the Tournament.

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ICC Champions Trophy 2017: A look back at all previous winners

Here’s CricTracker’s quick recap of the Champions Trophy since its inception.

#6 Australia – 2009

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