Voila...ICC Champions Trophy 2006 Beckons !!

Finally, the drought of a big tournament has ended ! After spending 10 years in wilderness, it is now India's turn to play host for the 5th edition of the Champion's Trophy. It is indeed ironical that the country which mooted this concept in the first place gets its due after the tournament has managed to create a niche for itself. When it started off, perhaps the intentions of the ICC were sounding straight and clear - to create a common platform for all teams and use this to catalyse their future. But now after 8 years, things have taken a 360-degree turn and its more of the commerce that rules the roost and not competition. Its not been a smooth ride after all, considering the marketing and endorsement chaos of 2002. Perhaps, those were the first signals of a long and well-planned commercial venture the ICC invested into four years back then. It may not completely turn into a farcical event just yet, but faces a pretty bleak future in the days and years to come, especially with the invasion of 20/20 being a good money-spinner for the Boards and the ICC.

As far as preparations are concerned, India has been on the dot, since the very day the clearances by the Government and subsequently the tournament was announced. But what should seem murky, is the law that the ICC has chartered, which does not allow "sponsored" stadiums to host any ICC-oriented matches. Which is why quality stadiums like the Chinnasawamy Stadium and the Chepauk have felt the ditch this time. Having said that, it does give an opportunity to other good stadiums in the country to prop up their standards and create an international feel about them. With Mohali being voted as the best stadium in the sub-continent and listed as one of the four centres for the Champion's Trophy, expectations will surely reach the limit, and it is about time Indian stadiums realize the need for recognition, especially in spectator management and hardcore infrastructure. It will give an opportunity for these stadiums to be rated and know where they stand on the international radar. Another positive to come out is the revival of the Brabourne Stadium at the Cricket Club of India, Mumbai. It has been 11 years since the last game was played there and a place that used to be regarded as the Lords of Asia, will soon bear the new look, with bucket-seats and floodlights simmering over the action ! Perhaps an indication of how tradition can merge itself with the needs of change, especially in the new age.

One of the major grudges that foreign teams have when they come to India is the business of traveling. To some extent, their grievances have been looked into by the BCCI and the ICC while the selection of the venues. The tournament will bear a more Western look as teams will shuttle between Ahmedabad, Mohali, Jaipur and Mumbai, cutting across four states that figure in an almost straight line on the political map of the country. So lesser connecting flights, more time in the nets and more action is all that this edition promises. To be on the franker side, I perceive this tournament to be a rough one for teams that are traditional strugglers in the sub-continent. Mainly because the wickets during this part of the year in India will probably assist slower bowlers as the season has not yet got underway and with constant rain in places like Mumbai, the curators may have just compromised a tiny bit on the nature of the pitches. It should be a traditional sub-continental pancaked belter, but also expect some sharp turn and tennis ball bounce if you are a non-Asian team.

Evaluating it critically, one of the main problems of this tournament is the lack of focus of some teams when they especially play this tournament. Australia have mentally resigned themselves to playing the Champion's Trophy to avoid huge sanctions and the signals coming from their side is very clear. The Ashes forms about 95% priority in their minds today - which clearly is a reflection of their mindset about the tournament per-se. England have named an experimental squad for this series, ensuring that their key players will be rested before the Ashes. Which is exactly why I said earlier, that this tournament is losing its competitive value and teams are participating in it just to get a share of the ICC revenue pie and be happy. Not that this tournament has proven to be a great platform per-se for teams going into major series etc. West Indies won the last edition, with a great amount of luck one would feel, but they have failed miserably to kick on from then. New Zealand (2000) is perhaps the only team that considers this trophy a holy one, because of its failure to win major tournaments and the same would hold true for South Africa in the inaugural version in 1998.

Add to that the inappropriate timing of the event - when most teams have just begun their seasonal cricket, barring England. I would not be surprised one bit if certain teams fail to fire as they normally would and expose the rust they have acquired by not playing enough of match-oriented cricket. This turns into a positive for some others who would capitalize on these matches as practice games for bigger tournaments in the future - especially considering high-intensity series like the Ashes. Do not be surprised if Australia get rated as the favourites, but get knocked out of the group stages or the Semis, they have a larger task on hand at home ! And remember, big teams win bigger trophies - a reason why Australia in the Champion's Trophy have regularly suffered in at the hands of teams they would otherwise decimate.

All in all, this tournament promises to be an entertainer, with the likes of Mandira Bedi always "charming" the screen and the likes of Kapil Dev stuttering some straw-hat English. With the marketers of the tournament doing a good job, especially with the advertising, it is of no doubt that cricket turns entertainer for a month. The format seems to be a bit skewed, but it only adds to the drama and the anxiety of cricket lovers. On a personal note, I back the form teams, two from the sub-continent to make the Semi-Finals, whereas the other teams may just struggle to tie two ends together here, partly due to focus and largely due to the conditions. For India, its a big tournament - one that can provide their World Cup charge some impetus, a direction, which will reinforce the faith and the belief that many of us have laid on our team. But, from the 8 teams in the race, may the best horse win !