Voting for shorter Champions Trophy

This year’s Champions Trophy will be played for a period of 29 days with 21 matches in total and all 10 test playing nations taking part. To me it sounds almost like a world cup. Consider this, 1987 world cup had only 8 teams and a total of 27 matches. No doubt today a cricket world cup is much larger event with last edition comprising of 54 scheduled matches over a period of almost 2 months and 14 teams taking part. Still I feel a Champions Trophy should be a shorter tournament, both in terms of teams and staging duration.

In one way this year’s Champions Trophy promises more meaningful matches then next year’s world cup does with no unknown teams taking part. This is certainly a welcome change as also reducing the number of teams from 12 to 10. But ICC may not want to make their mini world cup event equally, if not more, exciting than the show case event of world cup.

Since its inception the tournament has continued to evolve. At first the intention was to hold it at non test playing venues to promote cricket there. Bangladesh (not a test playing nation then) and Kenya hosted first two editions but since then major nations are playing host. The exciting knock out format has taken a retirement as well. The other objective of this tournament, that is earning revenue for development of the sport, is still being fulfilled handsomely though.

Timing too is an issue; with ‘2007 world cup’ coming just few months after 2006 Champions Trophy. That’s almost inevitable with biannual nature of Champions Trophy. So it’s important the format is changed again to give this tournament its own unique identity without taking any sheen out of the world cup. Here are some of my thoughts to make it more meaningful

• Option1: Restrict the tournament for only top 6 teams. Have a round robin format followed with a final (this would restrict the number of matches to 16).
• Option2: Restrict the tournament for only top 8 teams. Go back to knock out format (this would restrict the number of matches to mere 7).
• No qualifying structure like this year.
• ICC ODI rankings will be all the more meaningful with this restriction.
• Keep the length of tournament no longer than 15 days.
• Since major source of revenue will be broadcasting rights and in-stadia advertising, ICC should try to host it again at non test playing centers, may be similar to the lines of recent initiative taken by India and Pakistan boards.
• With fewer teams taking part in this tournament, for many teams world cup will remain the only major competition and that should be good for the premier event.
• Never held a Champions trophy within 8 months of either side of a world cup.

Let’s see if ICC makes any changes to 2008 edition. The call has been made.