The eight edition of the Champions Trophy will commence from 1st of June, 2017 as England hosts the tournament for the third time. The Oval at London is set the be the host of the Champions Trophy final for the second time. The tournament was started in the year 1998 and was known as ICC Knock Out Tournament or Wills International Cup back then.

At that time, it used to be a once-in-two-years event. Later ICC decided to make it once-in-four-years occurrence just like the World Cup. This elite tournament is also referred to as the &#8216;Mini World Cup&#8217; by many. Australia and India are the only teams to have won it two times (India shared the 2002 title with Sri Lanka). South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka (shared with India) and West Indies are the other winners. For South Africa, this is their only triumph in an ICC event.

England has previously hosted two Champions Trophies. On both occasions, they were defeated in the finals. Champions Trophy has provided the fans with loads of top-tier action, anxiety, top-drawer drama and excitement. There have been many scintillating performances in the ICC CT finals.

Let us have a look at the heroes of ICC Champions Trophy finals

(ICC Champions Trophy 2002 has not been taken into account since the final match was washed out on both the occasions)

#1 Jacques Kallis &#8211; South Africa v West Indies (1998)

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2014/08/KallisCT.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-5916" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/KallisCT.jpg" alt width="594" height="404" sizes="(max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-5916" class="wp-caption-text">Jacques Kallis. (Photo Source: Zimbio)</figcaption>

The first edition of ICC Champions Trophy (known as ICC Knock Out Tournament then) was played in Bangladesh&#8217;s capital Dhaka. Bangabandhu National Stadium hosted the finals where the mighty West Indies were up against South Africa. South Africa, led by late Hansie Cronje, won the toss and elected to field. West Indies managed to score 245 runs from 50 overs owing to a beautifully sculptured ton from Philo Wallace.

The bowler who impressed the most for South Africa was the 23-year old Jacques Kallis. Conceding just 30 runs, he took 5 wickets which included the wicket of the dangerous Carl Hooper and maintained an economy rate of just 4 runs per over.

Kallis was steady with the bat as well as the young-gun scored 37 runs from 51 balls. His innings comprised of four boundaries and one six. Owing to the superb efforts of the present Kolkata Knight Riders&#8217; coach in IPL, South Africa chased down the target with 3 overs to spare. The 23-year old young player then went on to become the legend for South Africa. The CT 1998 final was the predicament of what was to come in later years from Kallis.

#2 Chris Cairns &#8211; New Zealand v India (2000)

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/09/Sachin-Tendulkar-Chris-Cairns.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-31147" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Sachin-Tendulkar-Chris-Cairns.jpg" alt="Sachin Tendulkar with Chris Cairns" width="535" height="364" sizes="(max-width: 535px) 100vw, 535px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-31147" class="wp-caption-text">Sachin Tendulkar Chris Cairns. (Photo Source: PhotoSport)</figcaption>

Chris Cairns still resides as the villain in the hearts of many Indian cricket fans. The 2nd edition of ICC Champions Trophy was hosted by Kenya. The final match was played at Gymkhana Club Ground, Nairobi where New Zealand&#8217;s captain Stephen Fleming won the toss and decided to have a bowl first. Batting first, the Indian team led by Sourav Ganguly posted a decent total of 264. Skipper Sourav Ganguly played a captain&#8217;s knock of 117 runs from 130 balls.

He was well supported by the master-blaster Sachin Tendulkar who scored 69 runs in 83 deliveries, an inning which was filled with ten boundaries and a solitary six. But after the solid start, none of the India batters could capitalize. After a first-wicket partnership of 141 runs, India lost the momentum somewhat as the middle order collapsed.

The middle-order which boasted of big names like Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Vinod Kambli and Robin Singh failed to impress. The 30-year-old Chris Cairns was the most economical bowler of the Kiwis, conceding just 40 runs in 10 overs. India had a good start with the bowl as Venkatesh Prasad and Anil Kumble were hunting in pairs.

New Zealand struggled at 132 for 5 in the 24th over but once again, Cairns was the savior. He stayed there till the end and scored 102 runs from 113 balls. His innings comprised of 8 boundaries and 2 sixes. It was a close match and New Zealand chased the target with two balls to spare in a match that went down to the wire and will be remembered for a long time.

#3 Ian Bradshaw &#8211; West Indies v England (2004)

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/06/Courtney-Browne.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-73386" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Courtney-Browne.jpg" alt="Courtney Browne" width="600" height="444" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-73386" class="wp-caption-text">West Indies batsmen Ian Bradshaw (left) and Courtney Browne (right) celebrating after winning the ICC Champions Trophy Final. (Photo by Patrick Eagar/Popperfoto/Getty Images)</figcaption>

West Indies were playing the finals for the second time and they were focused on winning this time. Up against them was England, who were also the hosts of the tournament. The final was played at The Oval, London. Winning the toss, Brain Charles Lara&#8217;s West Indies decided to let England have a bat first. England batting collapsed big-time as they were bowled out for just 217.

Marcus Trescothick was the only successful batsman of England. He scored 104 runs from 124 balls which included fourteen boundaries, but rest of his team-mates failed miserably. Wavell Hinds was the most successful bowler for the Windies and Ian Bradshaw came second as he picked up 2 wickets in 10 overs and gave away 52 runs.

218 was not a great total to defend but England&#8217;s bowlers bowled brilliantly. Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff were wreaking havoc for England. At one stage, West Indies were 147-8 and the game looked over. But Ian Bradshaw and Courtney Brawne had different plans. They put a 61-run ninth wicket partnership as West Indies chased the target with seven balls to spare. Bradshaw&#8217;s inning of 34 runs from 51 balls comprised of 5 boundaries, as Vaughan &amp; Co. suffered defeat at their home soil. His inning was instrumental in West Indies&#8217; debut ICC Champions Trophy triumph.

#4 Shane Watson &#8211; Australia v West Indies (2006)

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/03/Shane-Watson-vs-Scotland-ICC-Cricket-World-Cup-2015.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-14021" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Shane-Watson-vs-Scotland-ICC-Cricket-World-Cup-2015.jpg" alt="Shane Watson" width="594" height="416" sizes="(max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-14021" class="wp-caption-text">Shane Watson. (© Getty Images)</figcaption>

India was hosting the ICC Champions Trophy for the first time and the final match was played in the Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai. Lara &amp; Co. were aimed at defending the trophy but the Australian side led by Ricky Ponting was definitely a tough nut to crack. West Indies chose to bat first after winning the toss.

But Nathan Bracken and Glenn McGrath launched the attack from the beginning and later, 25-year old Shane Watson joined in. He bowled 3 overs and gave away 11 runs, picking up the wickets of Marlon Samuels and Carlton Baugh. West Indies were all out for a mere 138 and the spectators felt match was heading towards a one-sided affair.

Coming to bat, Australia lost two of their pillars soon. Adam Gilchrist scored just 2 runs, while captain Ricky Ponting was out for a duck. But that was the last success for the Windies&#8217; bowlers. Shane Watson and Damien Martyn steadied the ship. Australia won the match with nearly 22 overs to spare and Shane Watson scored 57 runs in 88 balls. His inning comprised of 4 boundaries as Australia won their first ICC Champions Trophy.

#5 Shane Watson &#8211; Australia v New Zealand (2009)

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/04/Shane-Watson-Steve-Smith.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-17492" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Shane-Watson-Steve-Smith.jpg" alt="news in the Cricket World Today" width="594" height="396" sizes="(max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-17492" class="wp-caption-text">(© Getty Images)</figcaption>

Australians reached the ICC Champions Trophy finals for the 2nd consecutive time. They faced their neighbors New Zealand who also had won the trophy before. Hence, one team was set to win it for the second time. South Africa were selected as hosts and the match was played at SuperSport Park, Centurion. New Zealand&#8217;s skipper Brendon McCullum won the toss and decided to bat first.

Once again, batting first in the CT final proved costly as New Zealand were all out for 200 runs. Martin Guptill offered some resilience and scored 40 runs, but the rest failed. Brett Lee and Nathan Hauritz were the most successful bowlers for the baggy greens.

201 was never a great total to defend in Centurion. But history repeated itself as the captain and wicket-keeper were dismissed quickly. Tim Paine was the wicket-keeper this time, while the captain was same. Both Paine and Ponting went back to the pavilion after scoring a run each, as Australia was 6/2. Once again, the stage was set for Shane Watson. He made Cameron White his partner this time. White scored 62 runs, while Watson scored a beautiful hundred. He was the hero in Australia&#8217;s title defense.

#6 Ravindra Jadeja &#8211; India v England (2013)

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/11/Ravindra-Jadeja-of-India-celebrates-GettyImages-464114006.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class=" wp-image-41111" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Ravindra-Jadeja-of-India-celebrates-GettyImages-464114006.jpg" alt="Ravindra Jadeja" width="662" height="492" sizes="(max-width: 662px) 100vw, 662px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-41111" class="wp-caption-text">Ravindra Jadeja. (© IDI via Getty Images)</figcaption>

India were playing their third ICC Champions Trophy final. They had won it once, but the trophy was equally shared with Sri Lanka. England was hosting the tournament for the second time and this time, the venue for the final was Edgbaston, Birmingham. It was a rain affected match and number of overs was reduced to 20.

England, led by Alastair Cook won the toss and chose to field. Dhawan continued his superb form in the final but after his dismissal, India lost the momentum. Within 16 runs, they lost four wickets including Suresh Raina and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. But Ravindra Jadeja finished off the innings well. His 33 from 25 was extremely valuable as India were able to pose a total of 129. Jadeja&#8217;s 2 boundaries and 2 sixes were much valuable to the Indian team.

Though England lost captain Alastair Cook early, but they were slowly moving towards their target. Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin were good with the ball. Jadeja picked up the wickets of Ian Bell and Jos Buttler, while Ashwin made Joe Root and Jonathan Trott his prey. England needed 28 runs from 18 deliveries, and skipper MS Dhoni asked the expensive Ishant Sharma to bowl again.

Ishant was the only expensive bowler for India, as many felt Dhoni is making a horrendous mistake. 8 runs in the first 3 balls, and pressure now completely was on the Indian camp. With 20 needed from 15, it seemed like a cake-walk for England. But Ishant struck twice in two balls to dismiss Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara. England needed 15 from the last over. With Ashwin bowling, they would have never got there.

MS Dhoni won his first ICC Champions Trophy. Due to superb all-round performance, Ravindra Jadeja was adjudged as Man of the Match.

The eight edition of the Champions Trophy will commence from 1st of June, 2017 as England hosts the tournament for the third time. The Oval at London is set the be the host of the Champions Trophy final for the second time. The tournament was started in the year 1998 and was known as ICC Knock Out Tournament or Wills International Cup back then.
At that time, it used to be a once-in-two-years event. Later ICC decided to make it once-in-four-years occurrence just like the World Cup. This elite tournament is also referred to as the ‘Mini World Cup’ by many. Australia and India are the only teams to have won it two times (India shared the 2002 title with Sri Lanka). South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka (shared with India) and West Indies are the other winners. For South Africa, this is their only triumph in an ICC event.
England has previously hosted two Champions Trophies. On both occasions, they were defeated in the finals. Champions Trophy has provided the fans with loads of top-tier action, anxiety, top-drawer drama and excitement. There have been many scintillating performances in the ICC CT finals.
Let us have a look at the heroes of ICC Champions Trophy finals
(ICC Champions Trophy 2002 has not been taken into account since the final match was washed out on both the occasions)
<h3>#1 Jacques Kallis – South Africa v West Indies (1998)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_5916" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-5916" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2014/08/KallisCT.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-5916" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/KallisCT.jpg" alt width="594" height="404" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-5916" class="wp-caption-text">Jacques Kallis. (Photo Source: Zimbio)</figcaption></figure>
The first edition of ICC Champions Trophy (known as ICC Knock Out Tournament then) was played in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka. Bangabandhu National Stadium hosted the finals where the mighty West Indies were up against South Africa. South Africa, led by late Hansie Cronje, won the toss and elected to field. West Indies managed to score 245 runs from 50 overs owing&nbsp;to a beautifully sculptured ton from Philo Wallace.
The bowler who impressed the most for South Africa was the 23-year old Jacques Kallis. Conceding just 30 runs, he took 5 wickets which included the wicket of the dangerous Carl Hooper and maintained an economy rate of just 4 runs per over.
Kallis was steady with the bat as well as the young-gun scored 37 runs from 51 balls. His innings comprised of four boundaries and one six. Owing to the superb efforts of the present Kolkata Knight Riders’ coach in IPL, South Africa chased down the target with 3 overs to spare. The 23-year old young player then went on to become the legend for South Africa. The CT 1998 final was the predicament of what was to come in later years from Kallis.

<h3>#2 Chris Cairns – New Zealand v India (2000)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_31147" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-31147" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/09/Sachin-Tendulkar-Chris-Cairns.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-31147" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Sachin-Tendulkar-Chris-Cairns.jpg" alt="Sachin Tendulkar with Chris Cairns" width="535" height="364" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-31147" class="wp-caption-text">Sachin Tendulkar Chris Cairns. (Photo Source: PhotoSport)</figcaption></figure>
Chris Cairns still resides as the villain in the hearts of many Indian cricket fans. The 2nd edition of ICC Champions Trophy was hosted by Kenya. The final match was played at Gymkhana Club Ground, Nairobi where New Zealand’s captain Stephen Fleming won the toss and decided to have a bowl first. Batting first, the Indian team led by Sourav Ganguly posted a decent total of 264. Skipper Sourav Ganguly played a captain’s knock of 117 runs from 130 balls.
He was well supported by the master-blaster Sachin Tendulkar who scored 69 runs in 83 deliveries, an inning which was filled with ten boundaries and a solitary six. But after the solid start, none of the India batters could capitalize. After a first-wicket partnership of 141 runs, India lost the momentum somewhat as the middle order collapsed.
The middle-order which boasted of big names like Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Vinod Kambli and Robin Singh failed to impress. The 30-year-old Chris Cairns was the most economical bowler of the Kiwis, conceding just 40 runs in 10 overs. India had a good start with the bowl as Venkatesh Prasad and Anil Kumble were hunting in pairs.
New Zealand struggled at 132 for 5 in the 24th over but once again, Cairns was the savior. He stayed there till the end and scored 102 runs from 113 balls. His innings comprised of 8 boundaries and 2 sixes. It was a close match and New Zealand chased the target with two balls to spare in a match that went down to the wire and will be remembered for a long time.

<h3>#3 Ian Bradshaw – West Indies v England (2004)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_73386" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-73386" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/06/Courtney-Browne.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-73386" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Courtney-Browne.jpg" alt="Courtney Browne" width="600" height="444" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-73386" class="wp-caption-text">West Indies batsmen Ian Bradshaw (left) and Courtney Browne (right) celebrating after winning the ICC Champions Trophy Final. (Photo by Patrick Eagar/Popperfoto/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
West Indies were playing the finals for the second time and they were focused on winning this time. Up against them was England, who were also the hosts of the tournament. The final was played at The Oval, London. Winning the toss, Brain Charles Lara’s West Indies decided to let England have a bat first. England batting collapsed big-time as they were bowled out for just 217.
Marcus Trescothick was the only successful batsman of England. He scored 104 runs from 124 balls which included fourteen boundaries, but rest of his team-mates failed miserably. Wavell Hinds was the most successful bowler for the Windies and Ian Bradshaw came second as he picked up 2 wickets in 10 overs and gave away 52 runs.
218 was not a great total to defend but England’s bowlers bowled brilliantly. Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff were wreaking havoc for England. At one stage, West Indies were 147-8 and the game looked over. But Ian Bradshaw and Courtney Brawne had different plans. They put a 61-run ninth wicket partnership as West Indies chased the target with seven balls to spare. Bradshaw’s inning of 34 runs from 51 balls comprised of 5 boundaries, as Vaughan &amp; Co. suffered defeat at their home soil. His inning was instrumental in West Indies’ debut ICC Champions Trophy triumph.

<h3>#4 Shane Watson – Australia v West Indies (2006)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_14021" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14021" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/03/Shane-Watson-vs-Scotland-ICC-Cricket-World-Cup-2015.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-14021" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Shane-Watson-vs-Scotland-ICC-Cricket-World-Cup-2015.jpg" alt="Shane Watson" width="594" height="416" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-14021" class="wp-caption-text">Shane Watson. (© Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
India was hosting the ICC Champions Trophy for the first time and the final match was played in the Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai. Lara &amp; Co. were aimed at defending the trophy but the Australian side led by Ricky Ponting was definitely a tough nut to crack. West Indies chose to bat first after winning the toss.
But Nathan Bracken and Glenn McGrath launched the attack from the beginning and later, 25-year old Shane Watson joined in. He bowled 3 overs and gave away 11 runs, picking up the wickets of Marlon Samuels and Carlton Baugh. West Indies were all out for a mere 138 and the spectators felt match was heading towards a one-sided affair.
Coming to bat, Australia lost two of their pillars soon. Adam Gilchrist scored just 2 runs, while captain Ricky Ponting was out for a duck. But that was the last success for the Windies’ bowlers. Shane Watson and Damien Martyn steadied the ship. Australia won the match with nearly 22 overs to spare and Shane Watson scored 57 runs in 88 balls. His inning comprised of 4 boundaries as Australia won their first ICC Champions Trophy.

<h3>#5&nbsp;Shane Watson – Australia v New Zealand (2009)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_17492" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-17492" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/04/Shane-Watson-Steve-Smith.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-17492" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Shane-Watson-Steve-Smith.jpg" alt="news in the Cricket World Today" width="594" height="396" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-17492" class="wp-caption-text">(© Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
Australians reached the ICC Champions Trophy finals for the 2nd consecutive time. They faced their neighbors New Zealand who also had won the trophy before. Hence, one team was set to win it for the second time. South Africa were selected as hosts and the match was played at SuperSport Park, Centurion. New Zealand’s skipper Brendon McCullum won the toss and decided to bat first.
Once again, batting first in the CT final proved costly as New Zealand were all out for 200 runs. Martin Guptill offered some resilience and scored 40 runs, but the rest failed. Brett Lee and Nathan Hauritz were the most successful bowlers for the baggy greens.
201 was never a great total to defend in Centurion. But history repeated itself as the captain and wicket-keeper were dismissed quickly. Tim Paine was the wicket-keeper this time, while the captain was same. Both Paine and Ponting went back to the pavilion after scoring a run each, as Australia was 6/2. Once again, the stage was set for Shane Watson. He made Cameron White his partner this time. White scored 62 runs, while Watson scored a beautiful hundred. He was the hero in Australia’s title defense.

<h3>#6 Ravindra Jadeja – India v England (2013)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_41111" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-41111" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/11/Ravindra-Jadeja-of-India-celebrates-GettyImages-464114006.jpg"><amp-img class=" wp-image-41111" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Ravindra-Jadeja-of-India-celebrates-GettyImages-464114006.jpg" alt="Ravindra Jadeja" width="662" height="492" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-41111" class="wp-caption-text">Ravindra Jadeja. (© IDI via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
India were playing their third ICC Champions Trophy final. They had won it once, but the trophy was equally shared with Sri Lanka. England was hosting the tournament for the second time and this time, the venue for the final was Edgbaston, Birmingham. It was a rain affected match and number of overs was reduced to 20.
England, led by Alastair Cook won the toss and chose to field. Dhawan continued his superb form in the final but after his dismissal, India lost the momentum. Within 16 runs, they lost four wickets including Suresh Raina and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. But Ravindra Jadeja finished off the innings well. His 33 from 25 was extremely valuable as India were able to pose a total of 129. Jadeja’s 2 boundaries and 2 sixes were much valuable to the Indian team.
Though England lost captain Alastair Cook early, but they were slowly moving towards their target. Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin were good with the ball. Jadeja picked up the wickets of Ian Bell and Jos Buttler, while Ashwin made Joe Root and Jonathan Trott his prey. England needed 28 runs from 18 deliveries, and skipper MS Dhoni asked the expensive Ishant Sharma to bowl again.
Ishant was the only expensive bowler for India, as many felt Dhoni is making a horrendous mistake. 8 runs in the first 3 balls, and pressure now completely was on the Indian camp. With 20 needed from 15, it seemed like a cake-walk for England. But Ishant struck twice in two balls to dismiss Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara. England needed 15 from the last over. With Ashwin bowling, they would have never got there.
MS Dhoni won his first ICC Champions Trophy. Due to superb all-round performance, Ravindra Jadeja was adjudged as Man of the Match.

The eight edition of the Champions Trophy will commence from 1st of June, 2017 as England hosts the tournament for the third time. The Oval at London is set the be the host of the Champions Trophy final for the second time. The tournament was started in the year 1998 and was known as ICC Knock Out Tournament or Wills International Cup back then.
At that time, it used to be a once-in-two-years event. Later ICC decided to make it once-in-four-years occurrence just like the World Cup. This elite tournament is also referred to as the &#8216;Mini World Cup&#8217; by many. Australia and India are the only teams to have won it two times (India shared the 2002 title with Sri Lanka). South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka (shared with India) and West Indies are the other winners. For South Africa, this is their only triumph in an ICC event.
England has previously hosted two Champions Trophies. On both occasions, they were defeated in the finals. Champions Trophy has provided the fans with loads of top-tier action, anxiety, top-drawer drama and excitement. There have been many scintillating performances in the ICC CT finals.
Let us have a look at the heroes of ICC Champions Trophy finals
(ICC Champions Trophy 2002 has not been taken into account since the final match was washed out on both the occasions)
<h3>#1 Jacques Kallis &#8211; South Africa v West Indies (1998)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_5916" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-5916" style="width: 594px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2014/08/KallisCT.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-5916" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/KallisCT.jpg" alt width="594" height="404" sizes="(max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-5916" class="wp-caption-text">Jacques Kallis. (Photo Source: Zimbio)</figcaption></figure>
The first edition of ICC Champions Trophy (known as ICC Knock Out Tournament then) was played in Bangladesh&#8217;s capital Dhaka. Bangabandhu National Stadium hosted the finals where the mighty West Indies were up against South Africa. South Africa, led by late Hansie Cronje, won the toss and elected to field. West Indies managed to score 245 runs from 50 overs owing to a beautifully sculptured ton from Philo Wallace.
The bowler who impressed the most for South Africa was the 23-year old Jacques Kallis. Conceding just 30 runs, he took 5 wickets which included the wicket of the dangerous Carl Hooper and maintained an economy rate of just 4 runs per over.
Kallis was steady with the bat as well as the young-gun scored 37 runs from 51 balls. His innings comprised of four boundaries and one six. Owing to the superb efforts of the present Kolkata Knight Riders&#8217; coach in IPL, South Africa chased down the target with 3 overs to spare. The 23-year old young player then went on to become the legend for South Africa. The CT 1998 final was the predicament of what was to come in later years from Kallis.

<h3>#2 Chris Cairns &#8211; New Zealand v India (2000)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_31147" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-31147" style="width: 535px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/09/Sachin-Tendulkar-Chris-Cairns.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-31147" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Sachin-Tendulkar-Chris-Cairns.jpg" alt="Sachin Tendulkar with Chris Cairns" width="535" height="364" sizes="(max-width: 535px) 100vw, 535px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-31147" class="wp-caption-text">Sachin Tendulkar Chris Cairns. (Photo Source: PhotoSport)</figcaption></figure>
Chris Cairns still resides as the villain in the hearts of many Indian cricket fans. The 2nd edition of ICC Champions Trophy was hosted by Kenya. The final match was played at Gymkhana Club Ground, Nairobi where New Zealand&#8217;s captain Stephen Fleming won the toss and decided to have a bowl first. Batting first, the Indian team led by Sourav Ganguly posted a decent total of 264. Skipper Sourav Ganguly played a captain&#8217;s knock of 117 runs from 130 balls.
He was well supported by the master-blaster Sachin Tendulkar who scored 69 runs in 83 deliveries, an inning which was filled with ten boundaries and a solitary six. But after the solid start, none of the India batters could capitalize. After a first-wicket partnership of 141 runs, India lost the momentum somewhat as the middle order collapsed.
The middle-order which boasted of big names like Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Vinod Kambli and Robin Singh failed to impress. The 30-year-old Chris Cairns was the most economical bowler of the Kiwis, conceding just 40 runs in 10 overs. India had a good start with the bowl as Venkatesh Prasad and Anil Kumble were hunting in pairs.
New Zealand struggled at 132 for 5 in the 24th over but once again, Cairns was the savior. He stayed there till the end and scored 102 runs from 113 balls. His innings comprised of 8 boundaries and 2 sixes. It was a close match and New Zealand chased the target with two balls to spare in a match that went down to the wire and will be remembered for a long time.

<h3>#3 Ian Bradshaw &#8211; West Indies v England (2004)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_73386" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-73386" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/06/Courtney-Browne.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-73386" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Courtney-Browne.jpg" alt="Courtney Browne" width="600" height="444" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-73386" class="wp-caption-text">West Indies batsmen Ian Bradshaw (left) and Courtney Browne (right) celebrating after winning the ICC Champions Trophy Final. (Photo by Patrick Eagar/Popperfoto/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
West Indies were playing the finals for the second time and they were focused on winning this time. Up against them was England, who were also the hosts of the tournament. The final was played at The Oval, London. Winning the toss, Brain Charles Lara&#8217;s West Indies decided to let England have a bat first. England batting collapsed big-time as they were bowled out for just 217.
Marcus Trescothick was the only successful batsman of England. He scored 104 runs from 124 balls which included fourteen boundaries, but rest of his team-mates failed miserably. Wavell Hinds was the most successful bowler for the Windies and Ian Bradshaw came second as he picked up 2 wickets in 10 overs and gave away 52 runs.
218 was not a great total to defend but England&#8217;s bowlers bowled brilliantly. Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff were wreaking havoc for England. At one stage, West Indies were 147-8 and the game looked over. But Ian Bradshaw and Courtney Brawne had different plans. They put a 61-run ninth wicket partnership as West Indies chased the target with seven balls to spare. Bradshaw&#8217;s inning of 34 runs from 51 balls comprised of 5 boundaries, as Vaughan &amp; Co. suffered defeat at their home soil. His inning was instrumental in West Indies&#8217; debut ICC Champions Trophy triumph.

<h3>#4 Shane Watson &#8211; Australia v West Indies (2006)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_14021" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14021" style="width: 594px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/03/Shane-Watson-vs-Scotland-ICC-Cricket-World-Cup-2015.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-14021" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Shane-Watson-vs-Scotland-ICC-Cricket-World-Cup-2015.jpg" alt="Shane Watson" width="594" height="416" sizes="(max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-14021" class="wp-caption-text">Shane Watson. (© Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
India was hosting the ICC Champions Trophy for the first time and the final match was played in the Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai. Lara &amp; Co. were aimed at defending the trophy but the Australian side led by Ricky Ponting was definitely a tough nut to crack. West Indies chose to bat first after winning the toss.
But Nathan Bracken and Glenn McGrath launched the attack from the beginning and later, 25-year old Shane Watson joined in. He bowled 3 overs and gave away 11 runs, picking up the wickets of Marlon Samuels and Carlton Baugh. West Indies were all out for a mere 138 and the spectators felt match was heading towards a one-sided affair.
Coming to bat, Australia lost two of their pillars soon. Adam Gilchrist scored just 2 runs, while captain Ricky Ponting was out for a duck. But that was the last success for the Windies&#8217; bowlers. Shane Watson and Damien Martyn steadied the ship. Australia won the match with nearly 22 overs to spare and Shane Watson scored 57 runs in 88 balls. His inning comprised of 4 boundaries as Australia won their first ICC Champions Trophy.

<h3>#5 Shane Watson &#8211; Australia v New Zealand (2009)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_17492" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-17492" style="width: 594px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/04/Shane-Watson-Steve-Smith.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-17492" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Shane-Watson-Steve-Smith.jpg" alt="news in the Cricket World Today" width="594" height="396" sizes="(max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-17492" class="wp-caption-text">(© Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
Australians reached the ICC Champions Trophy finals for the 2nd consecutive time. They faced their neighbors New Zealand who also had won the trophy before. Hence, one team was set to win it for the second time. South Africa were selected as hosts and the match was played at SuperSport Park, Centurion. New Zealand&#8217;s skipper Brendon McCullum won the toss and decided to bat first.
Once again, batting first in the CT final proved costly as New Zealand were all out for 200 runs. Martin Guptill offered some resilience and scored 40 runs, but the rest failed. Brett Lee and Nathan Hauritz were the most successful bowlers for the baggy greens.
201 was never a great total to defend in Centurion. But history repeated itself as the captain and wicket-keeper were dismissed quickly. Tim Paine was the wicket-keeper this time, while the captain was same. Both Paine and Ponting went back to the pavilion after scoring a run each, as Australia was 6/2. Once again, the stage was set for Shane Watson. He made Cameron White his partner this time. White scored 62 runs, while Watson scored a beautiful hundred. He was the hero in Australia&#8217;s title defense.

<h3>#6 Ravindra Jadeja &#8211; India v England (2013)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_41111" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-41111" style="width: 662px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/11/Ravindra-Jadeja-of-India-celebrates-GettyImages-464114006.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class=" wp-image-41111" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Ravindra-Jadeja-of-India-celebrates-GettyImages-464114006.jpg" alt="Ravindra Jadeja" width="662" height="492" sizes="(max-width: 662px) 100vw, 662px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-41111" class="wp-caption-text">Ravindra Jadeja. (© IDI via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
India were playing their third ICC Champions Trophy final. They had won it once, but the trophy was equally shared with Sri Lanka. England was hosting the tournament for the second time and this time, the venue for the final was Edgbaston, Birmingham. It was a rain affected match and number of overs was reduced to 20.
England, led by Alastair Cook won the toss and chose to field. Dhawan continued his superb form in the final but after his dismissal, India lost the momentum. Within 16 runs, they lost four wickets including Suresh Raina and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. But Ravindra Jadeja finished off the innings well. His 33 from 25 was extremely valuable as India were able to pose a total of 129. Jadeja&#8217;s 2 boundaries and 2 sixes were much valuable to the Indian team.
Though England lost captain Alastair Cook early, but they were slowly moving towards their target. Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin were good with the ball. Jadeja picked up the wickets of Ian Bell and Jos Buttler, while Ashwin made Joe Root and Jonathan Trott his prey. England needed 28 runs from 18 deliveries, and skipper MS Dhoni asked the expensive Ishant Sharma to bowl again.
Ishant was the only expensive bowler for India, as many felt Dhoni is making a horrendous mistake. 8 runs in the first 3 balls, and pressure now completely was on the Indian camp. With 20 needed from 15, it seemed like a cake-walk for England. But Ishant struck twice in two balls to dismiss Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara. England needed 15 from the last over. With Ashwin bowling, they would have never got there.
MS Dhoni won his first ICC Champions Trophy. Due to superb all-round performance, Ravindra Jadeja was adjudged as Man of the Match.

Let us go down the memory lane and remember the heroes of ICC Champions Trophy finals

ICC Champions Trophy : Heroes of the Finals

The complete list of ICC Champions Trophy final heroes who won the elite tournament for their respective countries by offering some amazing performances