Champions Trophy is launched in London
The International Cricket Council and the England & Wales Cricket Board today launched the ICC Champions Trophy 2004 in London
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Several international captains marked the London launch by throwing down the gauntlet for the tournament. For a start, Ricky Ponting is acutely aware that this is one tournament that Australia has never won: "It's one trophy we haven't been able to get our hands on," he said, "and we haven't played anything like our best cricket in past events. It's the second biggest one-day tournament we play, and I know a lot of the players in our side are keen to make sure we play well in England this time around."
Graeme Smith, meanwhile, is hoping for a strong performance to erase the memories of South Africa's damp-squib exit from the 2003 World Cup at home. "It is a tremendously important event for us. We didn't do too well in the last World Cup, so it is important to see how far we've come since then and to gain some experience against the world's best. I'd like to believe our chances are good and our chances must be good if we prepare well, remain focused and play good cricket."
And England's Michael Vaughan thinks the Champions Trophy will play an important role in the development of his new-look one-day side. "We are giving players experience all the time and making sure they learn and we are building all the time to the next World Cup," he said. "We are progressing, but we are nowhere near the finished article. Playing in England is something that is a strength of ours, and we showed last year against Pakistan, Zimbabwe and South Africa that we are a match for any team on our day. But to win a trophy you have to play consistently well against good teams for three weeks."
Ehsan Mani, ICC's president, expressed his delight that the world's best cricketers would be gathering in England in September. "It is the only time outside the World Cup when all of the top teams assemble in one country," he said. "With the World Cup not likely to return to England for at least a decade it will be a rare opportunity for English cricket fans to see the world's best players.
"I know that some people are wary that we have scheduled a cricket event in England in September. Our research has shown that it is England's fourth-warmest month, and we have amended the playing conditions to give us every chance of matches being completed. All games have scheduled reserve days and, unlike two years ago, matches will be continued the following day rather than replayed in the event of showers or bad light.
"The event will also enable us to draw attention to our strategic alliance with UNAIDS. Cricket cannot ignore this problem of HIV and AIDS and I look forward to the sport's top players uniting in this common cause later this year."
Meanwhile David Morgan, the ECB chairman, was equally upbeat: "At ECB we are confident that the tournament will provide a spectacular climax to an exciting and invigorating summer of international cricket in England and Wales. What a feast for supporters of the game here - 15 games in 15 days with the best players in the world gracing three of our international venues - all who are interested in cricket will be excited by that prospect."
The total tournament prize fund is second only to that offered at the 2003 World Cup.
This is the fourth time the ICC has staged the event. It began as the ICC Knockout in Bangladesh in 1998, when South Africa beat West Indies in the final. Two years later, New Zealand defeated India in Kenya. In 2002 the name was changed to the ICC Champions Trophy to reflect a new format. After a thrilling semi-final between India and South Africa, unseasonal rains prevented the completion of the final between India and the hosts Sri Lanka.
The Champions Trophy is part of the ICC's long-term commercial partnership with the Global Cricket Corporation. The global partners for the event are LG Electronics, Pepsi, Hutchison and Hero Honda.
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