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Buildup to ICC Champions Trophy 2008

Gambit

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Gambit

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Champions: India grouped with Australia, Pakistan India have been grouped with world champion Australia and arch-rival Pakistan in Group A, also featuring the West Indies [images], for the 2008 Champions Trophy to be held in Pakistan in September. Group B consists of South Africa, New Zealand [images], Sri Lanka [images] and England [images] in the eight-nation tournament, an International Cricket Council release said. Three Pakistani cities -- Lahore [images], Rawalpindi and Karachi -- will host the elite one-day event. Two top sides from each group will compete in the semi-final stage, which will be held in Karachi and Rawalpindi. The final will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The official launch ceremony of the tournament will take place in Lahore on June 18.
http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2008/jun/15champs.htm Woo! What a group. There are going to be some fireworks!
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Guest Hiten.

Guest Hiten.

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We now have all the reasons to look out for Asia cup and Champs trophy. PCB will be playing in the pool of money at the end of these 2 competitions :D

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theguyinallblue Newbie

theguyinallblue

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With the security situation in pakistan deteriorating day by day...some teams..mainly Australia, NZ and Eng are reluctant to visit pakistan for champions trophy...even though islamic terrorists of pakistan have not targeted any sporting events so far in this country.. still FICA is concerned about players security..even after the assurance of PCB and Pakistani govt to provide presidential security for International teams that will visit pakistan for champions trophy... its a serious situation developing in ICC CT... either this CT will be a curtailed tournament with many top teams not participating in it...or venues of the games will have to be shifted to Indian or Srilanka... i will surely welcome the staging of ICC CT in india...:--D

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Guest Hiten.

Guest Hiten.

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With the security situation in pakistan deteriorating day by day...some teams..mainly Australia, NZ and Eng are reluctant to visit pakistan for champions trophy...even though islamic terrorists of pakistan have not targeted any sporting events so far in this country.. still FICA is concerned about players security..even after the assurance of PCB and Pakistani govt to provide presidential security for International teams that will visit pakistan for champions trophy... its a serious situation developing in ICC CT... either this CT will be a curtailed tournament with many top teams not participating in it...or venues of the games will have to be shifted to Indian or Srilanka... i will surely welcome the staging of ICC CT in india...:--D
If I am not wrong, Sri lanka is the back up venue for CT. Can somebody confirm this please?
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Guest Hiten.

Guest Hiten.

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Pakistan tournament stand off - CT THE Champions Trophy launch in Lahore tomorrow night will be a hollow celebration, given the serious doubt that title holder Australia will contest the September tournament in Pakistan. Just three months after Australia refused to tour the strife-torn country for safety and security reasons, world players' association boss Tim May claims "absolutely nothing" has changed. New Zealand and England are also understood to have reservations about playing in Pakistan. May refused to comment on a confidential security report provided by the International Cricket Council, but offered a damning assessment of attempting to play a tournament among the top eight cricket nations in Pakistan. "FICA is very concerned about the inherent risks of holding such an event in Pakistan in such a landscape of unrest and volatility and opposition to Western countries," said May, chief executive of the Federation of International Players' Associations (FICA). "FICA is not alone in its concern regarding holding this event in Pakistan, compounded by the timing of the event in terms of the religious celebration of Ramadan and the anniversary of the September 11 attacks in New York." After Australia refused to tour Pakistan in March and April for a Test and one-day series, one Australian player said it would have been "ludicrous" if the team had gone - so bad was the situation. In conjunction with players' associations from the competing countries, including the Australian Cricketers' Association, FICA will commission its own independent report, which should be completed in a fortnight. Cricket Australia and the ACA also have the ICC's confidential security report but will combine to commission another separate security report specific to Australia. CA will raise aspects of the ICC's security assessment during ICC meetings of Test country chief executives and the executive board in Dubai from late this month. "Everything in cricket is difficult," CA spokesman Peter Young said in response to concerns about the political connotations of Australia's potential withdrawal from what essentially is a mini World Cup and major ICC development fund-raiser. "The welfare of the Australian team and team management is paramount," Young said. "But we have a responsibility to world cricket and the continued development of the game as a global sport so we'd like to see the Pakistan tour succeed." ACA chief executive Paul Marsh said there were concerns but the association would follow the process of making an independent assessment and inform the players before commenting. There have been heightened fears about Australia's military participation in Iraq and specifically Afghanistan, making Australians a greater target, particularly of the Taliban operating along the lawless Pakistani-Afghan border. CA and the ACA rely heavily on Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade advice. The current DFAT warnings covering Pakistan advise against travel there "due to the very high threat of terrorist attack, sectarian violence and the unpredictable security situation". "We continue to receive credible reports indicating terrorists are in the advanced stages of planning attacks," the DFAT website says. "These attacks could target Western or Australian interests and individuals and places frequented by foreigners and could occur at any time." The six-nation Asia Cup, which begins in Pakistan next Tuesday, is considered a "dry run" for the Champions Trophy. Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates will play matches in Lahore and Karachi, with Rawalpindi, sister city to Islamabad, being added as a third venue for the Champions Trophy. However DFAT believes none of these venues are safe, closing its consulates in Karachi and Lahore until further notice for security reasons. Terrorist bombings in Pakistan averaged more than one a week in the year leading up to the February general election. While not quite as frequent they still take place regularly in Pakistan, with the most recent attack on the Danish embassy in Islamabad early this month killing at least six people. Despite these dire warnings, Australian umpire Simon Taufel and match referee Alan Hurst expect to leave for Pakistan later this week for the Asian Cup. "I've asked for a safety and security report from the ICC but I still haven't received it," Taufel told The Australian yesterday. The report would need to be of an "extreme nature" for Taufel to stay at home. "I've never felt threatened or unsafe umpiring anywhere in the world but I want to make sure all the security arrangements are in place," he said. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23874876-2722,00.html

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Feed Newbie

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Dhoni optimistic of bringing home Champions Trophy Mahendra Singh Dhoni is banking on India's consistency to bring home the Champions Trophy. More... Dhoni optimistic of bringing home Champions Trophy Agencies Posted online: Thursday , June 19, 2008 at 1500 hrs IST Print EmailTo Editor New Delhi, June 19: : The tri-series in Bangladesh slipped through his fingers but Mahendra Singh Dhoni is banking on India's consistency to make amends by bringing home the Champions Trophy. Dhoni pointed to India's amazing consistency for most part of the season and said provided his team-mates continue in the same vein, there is no reason why India cannot win the elite biennial tournament. "The Indian team did very well in limited-overs cricket in 2007-08. Winning the one-day series in Australia was a monumental achievement. Not only did we beat the World Cup winners, but also Sri Lanka , which was runner-up in the Caribbean," said the buoyant India captain. "We would like to continue in the same vein and take the ICC Champions Trophy home with us to India," Dhoni added. Dhoni would be eager to make up for the Bangladesh disappointment where his team thoroughly dominated the tournament only to lose to arch-rivals Pakistan in the final. Meanwhile, amid reports of a possible boycott by leading Australian cricketers because of security concerns, captains of all the major teams today issued a statement throwing their weight behind the Champions Trophy. Australia captain Ricky Ponting said his side was already focused on retaining the trophy, the second most important tournament after the World Cup. "The Champions Trophy is the number two one-day tournament on the calendar behind the ICC Cricket World Cup and it is for this reason that our players will ensure they are at the peak of their form to take on the world's best in this format of the game. "We are particularly focused on performing well this year in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and I am excited by the prospect of some new Australian players having the opportunity to be tested against the world's best 50-over players," Ponting said. Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik said he and his team would do everything to win the title before the home crowd. "This is the biggest cricket event to come to Pakistan in more than a decade. I am sure that there will be a fantastic atmosphere for all the games and that the people of Pakistan will make it a happy and memorable event," he said. "The fact we beat India earlier this week, which showed what a good side it is when it beat Australia earlier this year, means that it will be very difficult to predict the outcome of matches. I think this could be one of the most closely contested tournaments for a long time," Malik said. South Africa captain Graeme Smith said the format would require his team to stay on top of their game. "Having won it once before (in 1998) we are obviously keen to do so again and it is important that we take the extra step because we have been in a lot of semi-finals without going to the final stage," he said. West Indies captain Chris Gayle said with his team doing well in the last two editions, all he wanted was to carry forward the momentum. "In 2004 it was great feeling to be part of the team which won that amazing final against England at The Oval. I will always remember that day and cherish those memories. Two years later we went close again, only to lose to Australia in the final in India. "We believe we have the right combination and all the players know their roles and responsibilities. You can expect the West Indies to be bold and brave in the ICC Champions Trophy 2008," the left-hander said. England captain Paul Collingwood said his team was fancying its chance after they gathered good knowledge about conditions in the sub-continent. "We have come close to winning the Champions Trophy before and would love to go one better this time. In England, in 2004, we played some excellent cricket beating Australia in the semi-final and were very disappointed to lose to West Indies in the final after getting ourselves into a very good position to win the game. "Most of our squad have the experience of playing in Pakistan. We have played plenty of cricket in the sub-continent in recent years so I am sure we will be able to adjust to the conditions quickly and we will be very keen to make a big impact on the tournament," Collingwood said. New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori said the Kiwis are eager to make an encore of their 2000 triumph. "We have been a good one-day side for several years and to vindicate our world ranking we need to win a major tournament. We have made the top-four several times in recent years at ICC events without going any further. This is an opportunity to put that record behind us," he said. Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene said Champions Trophy gave him and his team an opportunity to test skills against the best in the world and they would do everything to come out with flying colours.

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