The International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy 2013 is all set to kick off on Thursday (6 June) in England with India taking on South Africa in the opening game to be played at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.
The Champions Trophy, which is touted as second in importance only to Cricket World Cup, is an ODI played every two years. The top top eight nations in the ICC ODI rankings - Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies - will participate in the tournament.
A total number 15 matches will be played in the tournament which will conclude on 23 June.
Australia, the defending champions, are the only country that have won the title twice since the conception of the tournament in 1998. Other countries that have won the title include South Africa (1998), New Zealand (2000), Sri Lanka and India (2002), and West Indies (2004).
Tournament Format
Eight participating teams are divided into two - Group A and Group B - whereby each team will meet the other team in their respective groups during the Group stage.
The top two teams from each group will move to the semi-finals. Winner of Group A will take on the runner up of Group B in the 1st semi-final, and the winner of Group B will meet the runner of Group A in the 2nd semi-final. The winners of 1st and 2nd semi-finals will meet in the final.
Group A Standings
| Pos | Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | N/R | Net RR | Points |
| 1 | England | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +0.308 | 4 |
| 2 | Sri Lanka | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -0.197 | 4 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +0.777 | 3 |
| 4 | Australia | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | -0.680 | 1 |
Group B Standings
| Pos | Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | N/R | Net RR | Points |
| 1 | India | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +1.154 | 6 |
| 2 | South Africa | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +0.417 | 3 |
| 3 | West indies | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -0.200 | 3 |
| 4 | Pakistan | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | -1.039 | 0 |
Champions Trophy 2013 Schedule & Match Results:
| Match | Date | Time | Teams | Venue | Results |
| 1, Group B | Thu, 6 June | 03:00 PM | India vs South Africa | Sophia Gardens, Cardiff | India win by 26 runs (Match Report) |
| 2, Group B | Fri, 7 June | 03:00 PM | Pakistan vs West Indies | Kennington Oval, London | West Indies win by 2 wickets (Match Report) |
| 3, Group A | Sat, 8 June | 03:00 PM | England vs Australia | Edgbaston, Birmingham | England win by 48 runs (Match Report) |
| 4, Group A | Sun, 9 June | 03:00 PM | New Zealand vs Sri Lanka | Sophia Gardens, Cardiff | New Zealand win by 1 wicket (Match Report) |
| 5, Group B | Mon, 10 June | 05:30 PM | Pakistan vs South Africa | Edgbaston, Birmingham | South Africa win by 67 runs (Match Report) |
| 6, Group B | Tue, 11 June | 03:00 PM | India vs West Indies | Kennington Oval, London | India win by 8 wickets (Match Report) |
| 7, Group A | Wed, 12 June | 03:00 PM | Australia vs New Zealand | Edgbaston, Birmingham | No-result(Match Report) |
| 8, Group A | Thu, 13 June | 05:30 PM | England vs Sri Lanka | Kennington Oval, London | Sri Lanka win by 7 wickets (Match Report) |
| 9, Group B | Fri, 14 June | 03:00 PM | South Africa vs West Indies | Sophia Gardens, Cardiff | Match tied (Match Report) |
| 10, Group B | Sat, 15 June | 03:00 PM | India vs Pakistan | Edgbaston, Birmingham | India win by 8 wickets (Match Report) |
| 11, Group A | Sun, 16 June | 03:00 PM | England vs New Zealand | Sophia Gardens, Cardiff | England win by 10 runs (Match Report) |
| 12, Group A | Mon, 17 June | 05:30 PM | Australia vs Sri Lanka | Kennington Oval, London | Sri Lanka win by 20 runs (Match Report) |
| 13 | Wed, 19 June | 03:00 PM | TBC vs TBC, 1st Semi-Final England vs South Africa |
Kennington Oval, London | England win by 7 wicket (Match Report) |
| 14 | Thu, 20 June | 03:00 PM | TBC vs TBC, 2nd Semi-Final India vs Sri Lanka |
Sophia Gardens, Cardiff | India win by 8 wickets (Match Report) |
| 15 | Sun, 23 June | 03:00 PM | TBC vs TBC, Final Final India vs England |
Edgbaston, Birmingham | India win by 5 runs (Match Report) |
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