LAHORE - The ultra-lucrative Champions Trophy 2009 to be held in South Africa in September, got a major boost in the prize money which was bumped up to over US $4 million, an-almost four-fold increase over the 2004 and 2006 editions of the tournament.
Pakistan has been grouped with India, Australia and the West Indies in Pool A and the to major rivals of Asia will come face to face on day two of the trophy. The pool B have the other four test playing nations South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and England. The top two teams from each pool would be progressing to the semi-finals stage.
The funds are at stake during a re-modelled short, sharp event of 15 matches in only 14 days in September and October taking place at two venues - Centurion Park and The Wanderers.
For the first time the ICC Champions Trophy will feature only the top eight sides in the world in the only global multi-team 50-over-a-side tournament between the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean and the next edition of that event, in the Asian sub-continent in two years time.
The action begins on September 22 with hosts South Africa in action against Sri Lanka in a day-night encounter at Centurion Park and it will end with a day-night final at the same venue on Monday October 5.Australia begins the defence of crown against the West Indies in a repeat of the 2006 final.That match will take place as a day game at The Wanderers, Johannesburg on Saturday 26 September and is part of a blockbuster day of action as, later on, India and Pakistan will go head-to-head in a day-night encounter at Centurion Park.
The sides to have won the event are South Africa (in Bangladesh, 1998), New Zealand (Kenya, 2000), India and Sri Lanka (joint winners after the final was washed out in Sri Lanka, 2002), the West Indies (England, 2004) and Australia (India, 2006).
