Similarities and differences between the Champions Trophy 2017 and the 2013 edition

Before the start of the 2013 edition of the Champions Trophy, the tournament was going to be the last one as ICC had announced that they would scrap it after the said edition in England. Post the commercial success of the event, the ICC decided to put Champions trophy a part of their FTP till 2021. Going by how the tournament construed, ICC is likely to keep rolling the event in future.

Playing in England adds to the charm of the eight-nation event. The format of the tournament is such that even the slightest of blemish could see a side go home after the conclusion of the group stages. Australia and New Zealand crashed out in the group stages yet again for the second consecutive time. Pakistan surprised everyone with a jaw-dropping performance despite losing their first game against India by a huge deficit.

In the end, Pakistan were perennially unpredictable but started looking a team in red-hot form after eclipsing hosts England in a lopsided contest in the semifinals. They mauled India, a result not many could have imagined, by 180 runs at The Oval in the finals. Bangladesh went home with their heads held high as they qualified for the semifinal of an ICC event for the first time in their history. There were a few similarities and stark differences between the 2013 edition and the just concluded one.

We first bring you a list of similarities followed by the differences as follows:

Rain played spoilsport in both editions

June is usually early monsoon in England but it is still much better than July and August when the monsoon sets in. The rains were a common feature of both editions of the Champions Trophy. In both editions, 5 games were marred by rain. 1 game in 2013 ended with a no result as compared to two in 2017 with Australia being the unlucky side on all three occasion.

The ground staff had to work efficiently during rain interventions and they did splendid jobs in 2013 and this year as well. The ICC must pay heed as fans and cricketers are left frustrated with rain playing spoilsport during a game. Maybe they could plan the tournament in May, as it is less likely to rain in that month.

Australia v New Zealand a wash out for the consecutive time

Arch-rivals Australia and New Zealand were both placed in the same group for the second successive time in a row. Hosts England were in the same group on both occasions as well. The game against New Zealand and Australia was a washout in both editions which led to the two to crash out of the tournament. If they had a result, one of the team would have qualified further into the semifinals. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were the respective beneficiaries of the no result between the Kiwis and the Men in Yellow. The similarity in both games was that the side chasing in the game were lucky to get one point as they were staring at a likely defeat. New Zealand

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were the respective beneficiaries of the no result between the Kiwis and the Men in Yellow. The similarity in both games was that the side chasing in the game were lucky to get one point as they were staring at a likely defeat. New Zealand were the lucky side in 2013 and Australia were lucky to get a point but it was of no use to either team in both editions.

Rohit-Dhawan show continued to carry India forward

It was the edition of 2013 where Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan opened the batting for the first time together for India. Dhawan was making a comeback into the side on both occasions and ended up winning the golden bat in either edition. The similarity doesn’t end here. Dhawan along with Rohit was involved in big partnerships at the top of the order. In 2013, both batsmen added 382 runs in 5 innings which included 2 hundred-run partnerships and 2 fifty run partnerships. Their only failure came in the finals where they could add just 19 before Rohit was dismissed.

Fast forward to 2017, the pair again displayed great batsmanship together adding 2 more runs than what they made together this year. 384 runs were scored at an average of 76.8 and included 2 hundred-run partnerships to go with an 87-run stand against Bangladesh. They had 2 failures this time, one against South Africa where they could add just 23 for the first wicket and the other against Pakistan in the finals. The dazzling form of one and the other took India into the finals both times.

Winning team lost a group game this time

Pakistan were the eventual champions this year after failing to go past the group stages in 2013. They played refreshing cricket with their bowlers picking wickets consistently during the middle overs. The brilliant performance of the bowlers was contagious as they batsmen too got in the form in the semifinals and finals which culminated into a maiden title win. Pakistan lost their first group game against India but recovered well to win their last four to lift the coveted trophy. In 2013, India were crowned champions when they defeated England by a slender margin of 5 runs. MS Dhoni, then captain of the side, led India to victory in all 5 games in the tournament. This did not happen in the 2017 edition.

Spinners were less effective in the latest edition

Though England is known to be a country which helps the faster men a lot, spinners too have a role to play on the dry pitches on offer at Birmingham. In 2013, Ravindra Jadeja won the golden ball for finishing the tournament with 12 sticks from 5 games. This time Hasan Ali, a fast bowler picked up the same award for finishing with 13 wickets from as many matches. The stark contrast between both editions was that the spinner had a relatively less role to play.

Four years ago, the spinners collectively averaged 29.93, accounting for 62 wickets. This time around, they could only pick 36 wickets at an alarming average of 54.47. Big stars of Test cricket – Jadeja and Ashwin – failed to make an impact in the 18-day tournament. The economy rate from 2013 was a very decent 4.57 but it rose to almost by a run, 5.47, this year. It wasn’t a tournament for spinners in 2017 and the numbers highlight that.

Full game in the finals as compared to 2013

2013 final was a rain-curtailed one. The toss was delayed but due to a superb work by the ground staff, a 20 over each side game was possible. India could muster to just 129 for 7 but fought back with the ball to restrict England 5 runs short of their total. This year, thankfully, the rains kept away from the finals. The sun was beating down during the entire length of the tournament as Pakistan piled on the agony on the defending champions whilst the clear skies.

In the end, an improbable chase of 339 was punctured by a devastating spell by Mohammad Amir, who skittled through the strong top order of India to peg them back in the chase. The other bowlers chipped in to bowl out India for a paltry 158 with almost 20 overs unused.