ICC Champions Trophy 2017 warm-up schedule: India to play Bangladesh and New Zealand
ICC Champions Trophy 2017: India to play Bangladesh and New Zealand in warm-up games
Amidst the hype of the Indian Premier League, teams have begun gearing up for the eighth edition of ICC Champions Trophy. Australia, Bangladesh and South Africa have already announced their squad for the tournament that will be played in England. ICC recently released the fixtures for the warm-up games, and they will be played between May 26 and May 3o. The warm-up games start with two-time Champions Trophy winner Australia taking on Sri Lanka at The Oval on May 26. Defending champions India will face New Zealand on May 28 and Bangladesh on May 30. Both of India’s warm-up games will be played at The Oval. Only six of the eight teams will play in the warm-up matches as hosts England and South Africa will be playing an ODI series ahead of the mega event.
| Warm-up fixture for Champions Trophy 2017 | ||
| Date | Match | Venue |
| May-26 | Australia vs Sri lanka | The Oval, London |
| May-27 | Bangladesh vs Pakistan | Edgbaston, Birmingham |
| May-28 | India vs New Zealand | The Oval, London |
| May-29 | Australia vs Pakistan | Edgbaston, Birmingham |
| May-30 | New Zealand vs Sri Lanka | Edgbaston, Birmingham |
| May-30 | India vs Bangladesh | The Oval, London |
So far, South Africa, Bangladesh and Australia have announced their squads for this upcoming mega event, which is also known as the ‘Mini World Cup.’ South Africa, who were also the winner of its inaugural edition in 1998, were the first team to announce their squad for the tournament. This is the only ICC Trophy they have won in the history of cricket. The tournament was last played in 2013 and England were the hosts then too. India beat England to win the trophy and thus will enter the competition this time as the defending champions.
The biggest setback this year is the absence of West Indies, a side that has two ODI World Cup wins, two World T20 titles and a Champions Trophy win to their name. The star-studded West Indies failed to qualify for the 2017 edition as they were not among the top eight ODI teams as per ICC rankings on September 30, 2015, paving the way for Bangladesh’s entry.