Why the world needs the Champions Trophy?
The National's Osman Samiuddin argues over the benefit of persisting with the Champions Trophy format, and how it can still produce relevant and decisive contests
22-Apr-2013
The Champions Trophy, a once biennial event, has been under direct threat from the advent of T20 cricket for a number of years, with a number of leagues mushrooming in all corners of the cricketing world. Many have announced the premature death of the tournament; criticising it for its lack of purpose and need. The National's Osman Samiuddin provides an alternate view on the subject, and how such a league, limited to only the best eight nations, can provide sharp, decisive and action-packed cricket.
This format, of only the top eight sides playing across two groups, is a sharper, edgier test of quality than a World Cup bloated with easy points. The Champions Trophy should, theoretically, be the best global event since the 1992 World Cup, where nine sides all played each other once before the top four progressed to conventional semi-finals and a final.