Eight teams are invited to tour Pakistan in this Champion Trophy forming the two groups i.e. Group A and Group B.
In Group A:
1. Pakistan.
2. Australia.
3. India.
4. West Indies.
In Group B:
1. South Africa.
2. New Zealand.
3. England.
4. Sri Lanka.
Two teams from each group will qualify for semifinals and the two winning teams will reach the final. The tournament will continue from 11 to 28 of September. The final will be held on 28th of September.
The members of the executive board of ICC have been summoned to meet in Dubai later this month. In this meeting, they will discuss the current and future security situations in Pakistan.
Regarding this board meeting which would be held in Dubai, Richardson stated;
"Yes, the board will make a decision as to staging of the event because the Champions Trophy is one of the most important event in cricket calendar and it pits the best against the best"
The Muslim month of Ramzan will also start during this series and it is said that it may affect the Champions Trophy by lessening the interest and attention of Pakistani audience in the series.
Shaft Naghmi, who is PCB chief operating officer, denied that view and said that we expect big audience in these matches because Pakistani people love cricket very much and it is the most popular game of Pakistan.
He further said,
"The Champions Trophy is very important for cricket in Pakistan, not only we are expecting high quality cricket, it will be the first major event after a long, long time”
