ICC CT Groups announced

The groups for the ICC Champions Trophy have been announced by Ehsan Mani in a conference in Goa.

Based on the current ODI rankings, Group A pits England, India and Australia against each other, while Group B consists of Pakistan, South Africa and New Zealand. The fourth spot in each group will be taken by one of the qualifiers from the qualifying group, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.

Some issues surrounding the event still remain, mainly concerning the BCCI’s request to have four grounds hosting matches, as opposed to three. However, the ICC expect these to be resolved soon.

The qualifying matches start on October 7, and the tournament finishes on November 5. With an already crowded international calendar, many coaches are worried about ‘burnout’ of players, and there are worries that we may not see full strength squads. However, Mani stated he would be disappointed if that were to happen, and that he expects full strength line-ups.

Group A

England
India
Australia
Qualifier 1

Group B

South Africa
New Zealand
Pakistan
Qualifier 2

Qualifiers

Sri Lanka
West Indies
Zimbabwe
Bangladesh