A new simplified format will be introduced for next year’s ICC Champions Trophy in India.
The new format will see eight teams split into two groups of four, with the top two from each group qualifying for the semi-finals and final.
The previous system featured 12 teams divided into four groups of three.
ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said: “It has addressed the main flaws of the previous system and we now look forward to an exciting major event in India.”
The eight teams in the competition will comprise the top six sides in the ICC ODI Championship table on 1 April 2006, plus the top two teams from the initial qualifying round of the ICC Champions Trophy 2006.
The qualifying round will take place in India a few days before the group stage and involve a four-team round-robin play-off for the teams ranked 7-10 in the ODI Championship table. The new format was approved at a meeting of the Board of International Cricket Council Development in Dublin. “After the last ICC Champions Trophy we sought the opinions of a wide range of stakeholders and conducted a thorough review of the tournament’s structure,” added Speed.
The current ODI standings are:
Team
1 Australia
2 Sri Lanka
3 New Zealand
4 South Africa
5 Pakistan
6 England
7 India
8 West Indies
9 Zimbabwe
10 Kenya
11 Bangladesh
I don't think the system is flawed, rather i think the Host should be decided from top three teams so it will automatically in the tournament. Else the teams like Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Kenya will like to hold tournament...
after a very long i guess ICC came up with a format which will make the tournament more competitive. Yes it was a knockout tournament and teams losing the match had to leave but c'mon it is one tournament after WC where we have the chance to see all teams in actions and then it was a shame that some deserving teams were not getting a second chance after losing a match secondly when all the teams are competing in a tournament you like to see a team competing with more teams and not only one team. With the new format there will be 2 pools and we will see each team competing atleast 3 times before getting out of the tournament.
