ICC Champions Trophy 2017 schedule announced

International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the groups and schedule for the 2017 Champions Trophy. The 18-day tournament will run from 1 to 18 June 2017 and will also see matches played at the Cardiff Wales Stadium in Cardiff and The Oval in London.

The tournament schedule was announced at The Oval exactly a year before the first ball is bowled in the tournament, in which a total of 15 matches – including three knock-out games – will be played over two and a half weeks.

The top eight sides on the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Team Rankings on 30 September 2015 automatically qualified for this tournament. Group A consists of World Cup finalists Australia, New Zealand along with England and Bangladesh. The Group B has defending champions India, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka

The top two sides from each group will progress to the semi-finals, which will be played at Cardiff and Edgbaston on 14 and 15 June respectively, with The Oval hosting the final. There will be a reserve day for the final.

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Defending champions India will kick-off their title defence against traditional rival Pakistan when the two Asian giants go head to head at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on 4 June 2017.

Announcing the schedule, ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: “The ICC Champions Trophy is a short and sharp event, which is followed and enjoyed by the spectators and players alike.

“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 and Wales fully prepared and geared up so that they can collect enough points to directly qualify for the 2019 extravaganza.

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“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.”

ECB’s Director – Events, Steve Elworthy, said: “The ICC Champions Trophy was a huge success in 2013, with packed grounds and thrilling cricket, so we look forward to welcoming it back to England and Wales this time next year.

“It will start three years of global events in England and Wales, with the ICC Women’s World Cup following shortly after and then the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2019. It is, without a doubt, an exciting time for cricket in this country.”

Event schedule:

Thurs, 1 June – England v Bangladesh, The Oval (d)
Fri, 2 June – Australia v New Zealand, Edgbaston (d)
Sat, 3 June – Sri Lanka v South Africa, The Oval (d)
Sun, 4 June – India v Pakistan, Edgbaston (d)
Mon, 5 June – Australia v Bangladesh, The Oval (d/n)
Tues, 6 June – England v New Zealand, Cardiff (d)
Wed, 7 June – Pakistan v South Africa, Edgbaston (d/n)
Thurs, 8 June – India v Sri Lanka, The Oval (d)
Fri, 9 June – New Zealand v Bangladesh, Cardiff (d)
Sat, 10 June – England v Australia, Edgbaston (d)
Sun, 11 June – India v South Africa, The Oval (d)
Mon, 12 June – Sri Lanka v Pakistan, Cardiff (d)
Wed, 14 June – First semi-final (A1 v B2), Cardiff (d)
Thurs, 15 June – Second semi-final (A2 v B1), Edgbaston (d)
Sun, 18 June – Final, The Oval (d)
Mon, 19 June – Reserve day (d)

Match timing – Day matches will start at 10h30 (UK time), while day/night matches will start at 13h30 (UK time)