ICC Champions Trophy facts: What to know before it starts

WEB DESK: The International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy will kick off tomorrow, February 19, with the opener pitting Pakistan and New Zealand against each other.

But, before the two teams face off in a rematch of the tri-nation series finals that took place just last week, here are some facts about the tournament that you should know.

Champions Trophy Timeline

• The last edition of the tournament prior to 2025, took place in 2017. It was discontinued due to the already existing ICC ODI World Cup. The ICC felt there was no need for two major tournaments in the same format.
• The latest iteration of the tournament is the ninth edition, and it is the first to be held in Pakistan. Pakistan was scheduled to host the tournament in 2008, but was shifted to South Africa and held in 2009 due to security concerns.
• The inaugural edition of the Champions Trophy took place in Bangladesh in 1998. South Africa were the winners of the first ever iteration of the tournament. The second edition took place in Kenya in 2000, and New Zealand won. Back then, the tournament was known as the ICC KnockOut Trophy.
• The 2002 edition of the Champions Trophy took place in Sri Lanka, and was the first iteration of the tournament to take place with the new name. It is also notably the only time the Champions Trophy had joint winners. Both Sri Lanka and India shared the trophy, as the final match was abandoned twice due to rain before being declared a no result.
• In 2004, the Champions Trophy was held in England, and the West Indies came out on top. In 2006, the tournament was held in India, and Australia were the winners.
• After the 2009 Champions Trophy held in South Africa, which Australia once again won, the tournament was scheduled to take place every four years, instead of every two as had been the case thus far.
• The 2013 Champions Trophy took place in England and Wales, and was won by India. The last edition of the tournament, in 2017, also took place in England and Wales, and this time, Pakistan triumphed.

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Champions Trophy Quick Facts

• The Champions Trophy is colloquially known as the mini world cup due to the presence of the eight highest ranking ODI teams, as well as its shorter duration.
• New Zealand holds the record for most runs scored in a Champions Trophy match with 347. They set the record back in 2004 against the USA. The second highest score of 338 runs is held by Pakistan, which they set in the finals of the last Champions Trophy against India. Close behind Pakistan is India themselves, with a score of 331 runs, which they made against South Africa in 2013.
• New Zealand’s Nathan Astle holds the record for most runs made in an innings, 145. That fantastic knock came in the 2004 game against the USA. India’s Sourav Ganguly holds the second highest score of 141, while Shane Watson holds the third highest with 136.
• Overall, Chris Gayle holds the records for most runs scored in the Champions Trophy with 791. Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene is the second highest with 742, while India’s Shikhar Dhawan is third with 701.  

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