A trophy for champions?

The Champions trophy schedule is out - India play England in the opening match at Jaipur...where India can strive to make up for missing out on beating England in Guwahati, and make the series tally 6-1. Although, realistically, October is too far away in ODI terms, and a lot is likely to happen with the team between now and then.

Andrew Miller, meanwhile, throws some light on the credibility and importance of the tournament itself. And I would agree, right now Champions Trophy doesn't really hold a position too many teams would strive for. Unless they're the ones that cannot realistically hope to get the bigger trophy, the *real* world cup, home.

"Commercialism, while important, must not be the prime consideration in making decisions about the future," Speed himself told Cricinfo this month. It is high time, therefore, he turned his own words into deeds. The ICC has a duty to make their events more attractive, which means biting the bullet, dispensing of the bullshit, and recognising that the product they are pedalling is stale and unappetising.

It means axing at least a fortnight from the unworkably cumbersome 47-day World Cup, and it means giving the Champions Trophy - or whatever they care to rebrand it as - a slot in the international schedule that befits the status to which it aspires. Scheduling a mini-World Cup within six months of the main event is just plain silly.

Well said...why would Australia risk fatigue and injury to its players just months before Ashes and the World Cup defence, when those two events can easily wipe out even the ignominy of a first round Champions Trophy exit? Miller's closing remark -

It matters that the ICC's tournaments matter, because if their credibility is fatally undermined, then the free-for-all that could follow will be to the detriment of the entire game

- on why having a stronger ICC effort behind CT matters is really important, especially in light of the 'other' direction that BCCI (and some other boards) seem to be inching towards, with their announcements related to the tournaments on 'neutral' venues, and a simultaneous display of reluctance to participate in future CTs.