Confirmed Teams For ICC Champions Trophy 2017

30 September 2017 is the next important cut-off date, which is for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

Bangladesh will return to the ICC Champions Trophy for the first time since 2006 after the eight sides were confirmed for the 2017 tournament, which will be hosted by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) from 1 to 18 June.

Bangladesh has replaced the West Indies, which finished outside the top eight in ninth position, in the ICC ODI Team Rankings on the 30 September 2015 cut-off date.

The eight sides to play in the short and sharp, nation-versus-nation ICC Champions Trophy 2017 are (in rankings order): world champion Australia, title holder India, 1998 winner South Africa, 2000 champion New Zealand, 2002 co-winner Sri Lanka, host England, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Bangladesh’s last participation in the ICC Champions Trophy was in India, when it featured in the qualifying round. It lost to Sri Lanka (by 37 runs) and the West Indies (by 10 wickets). Its only victory was against Zimbabwe by 101 runs.

Since the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, Bangladesh cricket has been on a high and has produced very strong performances. It won ODI series against Pakistan, India and South Africa, which has helped it jump from ninth to seventh in the ICC ODI Team Rankings.

The ICC Champions Trophy 2017 will be a 15-match tournament, with teams split into two groups of four, with the top two teams in each group progressing to the semi-finals. The groups and the schedule for the ICC Champions Trophy will be announced in due course.

With the sides for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 now confirmed, the next important qualification date in the diaries of the 12 teams on the ICC ODI Team Rankings will be 30 September 2017.

That is the date when the top eight ranked sides on the ICC ODI Team Rankings will earn direct qualification for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 to be hosted by the ECB. The bottom four sides will get a second chance to complete the 10-team line-up in the ICC Cricket World Cup when they will be joined by teams from the ICC World Cricket League Championship and the ICC World Cricket League Division 2 in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018.

As such, all bilateral ODI cricket in the lead up to 30 September 2017, including the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, will now have greater importance as only 27 points separate second-ranked India from ninth-ranked West Indies.

ICC ODI Team Rankings (as on 30 September 2015, top eight sides have qualified for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017):

Rank   Team             Points

1          Australia         127

2          India               115

3          South Africa    110

4          New Zealand  109

5          Sri Lanka        103

6          England          100

7          Bangladesh     96

8          Pakistan          90

9          West Indies     88

10        Ireland             49

11        Zimbabwe       45

12        Afghanistan    41

Source: ICC

Australia Announced Their Squad For Upcoming Series Against Bangladesh

New look squad to take on Bangladesh challenge in two test match series

Cricket Australia’s National Selection Panel (NSP) has chosen a 15-man squad for the two-Test Tour of Bangladesh it was announced today.

The squad, to be led by newly appointed Test captain Steve Smith, features two uncapped players – 22 year-old Western Australia top-order batsman Cameron Bancroft and 30 year-old Tasmania fast bowler Andrew Fekete.

It includes eight players –Smith, Nathan Lyon, Shaun and Mitchell Marsh, Peter Nevill, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc and Adam Voges – from the most recent Test squad that toured the British Isles.

Players who featured in that squad but are now absent are the retired quintet of Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Chris Rogers and Shane Watson, as well as fast bowlers Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood, both recuperating after high workloads in the West Indies and in the Ashes series, opening batsman David Warner who fractured his left thumb in the One-Day International series against England, and leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed.

There are recalls to the Test squad for Joe Burns, Patrick Cummins (recalled to replace Ryan Harris during the Ashes), Usman Khawaja, Glenn Maxwell and Stephen O’Keefe.

The NSP has chosen Voges as vice-captain, and that nomination has been ratified by Cricket Australia’s Board of Directors. Voges fills the role in the absence of Warner.

Commenting on the line-up to tour Bangladesh, National Selector Rodney Marsh said: “The retirements of five players from the squad that went on the Ashes tour, as well as issues of injury, form and conditions have brought about a major change in the profile of the touring party from the one that toured the British Isles.

“But with that change comes a fantastic opportunity for all the players going to Bangladesh.

“They are going as a young group with seven of the players aged 26 or less, and all 15 have the opportunity to kick on and, in the case of Cameron Bancroft and Andrew Fekete, kick off their Test careers and establish themselves as the core of the side for years to come.

“It is an exciting time to be involved in Australian cricket, with a new captain in Steve Smith and a crop of hugely talented players alongside him with the chance to forge a bright future for our national side.”

Bancroft scored 896 first-class runs last summer, including 211 against New South Wales in Perth in March, while Fekete took 37 wickets – more than any other fast bowler in domestic cricket – during the same Sheffield Shield season.

Marsh said: “Cameron is a player who impressed everyone on the recent A tour of India.

“He can bat for long periods of time and scored an outstanding 150 against India A in Chennai.

“On that tour he played spin well, fielded brilliantly at bat-pad and his whole demeanour was that of a player who is determined to play Test cricket.

“He scored almost 900 first-class runs last season, he’s young, hungry and he could become a very good player for us over a long period of time.

“Andrew bowled really well last summer and followed that up on the A tour.

“He can generate reverse swing and that ability could be extremely useful in the conditions we expect to encounter in Bangladesh.

“Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood were not considered for the tour as, after heavy workloads over the past six months and with a significant amount of cricket to come, we wanted to make sure they are right to go at the start of our domestic summer.

“We expect both players to start bowling again in the next week or so, hopefully play some Matador Cup and Sheffield Shield cricket for their states and be ready for selection for the first home Test of the season, against New Zealand.

On O’Keefe’s selection ahead of Ashes tourist Fawad Ahmed, Marsh said: “Stephen did well on the A tour. We felt he bowled exceptionally well.

“It’s true that Fawad didn’t get many opportunities in either the West Indies or on the Ashes tour but when he did get them he didn’t bowl as well as I’m sure he would have wanted.

“He will go back to Victoria and hopefully start taking wickets to give us the right type of problem to have as a National Selection Panel.

“With Stephen O’Keefe, Nathan Lyon and Glenn Maxwell we believe we have the right number and the right type of spinners for the conditions we expect to encounter.”

Of the top-order players selected alongside captain Smith, Marsh commented: “We have options because Joe Burns, Cameron Bancroft, Shaun Marsh and Usman Khawaja can all bat pretty much anywhere.

“Our desire is that these players form the nucleus of our top-order, alongside Steve Smith and David Warner, for the forseeable future, form and fitness permitting.”

And on Adam Voges’ nomination as Smith’s vice-captain, Marsh added: “In Adam we have a hugely experienced player who we feel sure will be a great influence around the group and also someone who will be an invaluable asset for Steve Smith on his first Test tour as captain.”

The players are scheduled to depart from home ports on 28 September and arrive in Dhaka ahead of a tour match in Fatullah from 3 – 5 October.

The two Tests will take place in Chittagong (9 – 13 October) and Dhaka (17 – 21 October).

Australia Squad to tour Bangladesh

(Player, state, age, caps)

Steve Smith (captain), New South Wales, 26, 33

Adam Voges (vice-captain), Western Australia, 35, 7

Cameron Bancroft, Western Australia, 22, 0

Joe Burns, Queensland, 26, 2

Patrick Cummins, New South Wales, 22, 1

Andrew Fekete, Tasmania, 30, 0

Usman Khawaja, Queensland, 28, 9

Nathan Lyon, New South Wales, 27, 46

Mitchell Marsh, Western Australia, 23, 7

Shaun Marsh, Western Australia, 32, 15

Glenn Maxwell, Victoria, 26, 3

Peter Nevill, New South Wales, 29, 4

Stephen O’Keefe, New South Wales, 30, 1

Peter Siddle, Victoria, 30, 57

Mitchell Starc, New South Wales, 25, 22

Source: ICC