ICC Champions Trophy - The World Cup of champions is here

The World cup of Champions, or the ICC Champions Trophy, as it is famously called, is back for its final edition. It will be played in England and Wales. 8 major teams will battle it out for the crown of ‘champions of the world’.

South Africa and England will start as favourites, looking at the team balance and also the conditions. But again, the tournament is such that no one team is expected to dominate. Teams like Australia, India, Sri Lanka and West Indies will hope that their youngsters are up for the challenge.

India will have a lot to prove as their performance overseas has been dismal in the last two years. Also, the dropping of senior players like Gambhir, Sehwag and Yuvraj has left much of the batting inexperienced and the selection of under-performers like Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma has not come without questions. But the selectors will be hoping that they can silence their doubters. India will also have an inexperienced top order with openers Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay; Kohli at 3 has also played just 5 ODIs in England. Another crucial factor will be that this will be India’s first major ODI tournament without Sachin Tendulkar. He will surely be missed both on and off the field.

South Africa look one of the strongest sides despite being without key players like Jacques Kallis, who has opted out for personal reasons and former captain Graeme Smith, who is nursing an ankle injury. They will also be under pressure because of their tendency to choke at crucial stages in big tournaments. AB de Villiers will hope he is the lucky one to guide them to their first major ICC trophy. Their squad still looks great with bowlers like Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. Batting order will comprise of Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, JP Duminy and also the latest IPL sensation, David Miller. On paper, they look like the team to beat and will also be hoping to give Gary Kirsten a good farewell gift as he leaves his position as their head coach after the tournament.

Australia’s hope will rest on the performance of their skipper Michael Clarke and all-rounder Shane Watson. These will be the key players around whom their batting will revolve. Their bowling attack still looks strong with the likes of Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson, who will have a point to prove after being dropped from the Ashes squad. This will also be their last chance to have a look at the conditions before the important Ashes series where England will start as overwhelming favourites.