The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Scrap the Champions Trophy

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jan 07, 2006

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Sport - Cricket

Scrap the Champions Trophy

Special Correspondent

Mumbai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is likely to propose to the International Cricket Council to terminate the biennial Champions Trophy Limited Over Tournament, after the fifth edition is held in India later this year.

"We have expressed our disagreement. We are against conducting the Champions Trophy in the next cycle of the ICC events, after the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies. We will hold the Champions Trophy this year. The World Cup and the Under -19 World Cup should be the top events for the ICC,'' said Niranjan Shah, secretary, BCCI.

The BCCI has already briefed the Cricket Australia Chairman, Creagh O'Connor, and its CEO, James Sutherland, the economic viability and its negative impact on the nation hosting the Champions Trophy. Cricket Australia officials visited New Delhi recently to meet the BCCI President, Sharad Pawar.

On Saturday, three BCCI officials — vice-president, Lalit Modi, Niranjan Shah and I.S. Bindra (Marketing Committee, Member) — are leaving for London to meet the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) officials to decide the future programmes between the two countries before the ICC Executive Board (EB) meeting to be held at Karachi on January 12.

The BCCI has also undertaken a task to prepare a fixed calendar for the next four years. "The BCCI is in the process of positioning events for every season. We have to finalise everything before we float the tender for television rights,'' Mr. Shah said.

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