ICC Champions Trophy 2013: The Final – England vs. India

India stood triumphant in the last ever ICC Champions Trophy following a 5-run win in a rain-stricken 20 Over thriller at Edgbaston.

Rain delayed play for numerous hours before play began and reduced the match to 20 over innings, it also halted India’s innings momentarily.

The best batting performance for India came from Virat Kohli who scored 43 runs as a part of India’s final total of 129.

England found themselves chasing a very possible score of 130 to be crowned Champions Trophy winners, however they found themselves slightly behind the run rate.

As the game moved further towards a climax, England began to really get going and were on course for a win.

Then there was the turning point.

All set for the win chasing 20 runs of 16 balls, Ravi Bopara and Eoin Morgan were showing solidarity on the crease before Morgan was dismissed for 33, followed by a complete collapse for England.

The 8 balls that followed were disastrous for England, who only scored three runs – but conceded four wickets.

Unnecessary shot selections from Morgan and Bopara had dropped two wickets that were vital.

Courtesy of Ishant Sharma – the true hero for India as his over of spectacular bowling had turned the game completely on it’s head.

Third Umpire Bruce Oxenford was particularly busy in the closing overs of the game with numerous third umpire decisions from run outs and catches.

James Tredwell had an opportunity to strike a six that would win the tournament, but was unable to do so and England finished the 20 Overs at 124 – 8.

Edgbaston witnesses a nail-biting thriller to conclude a very entertaining Champions Trophy tournament.

India triumph and become the team to win the last ever Champions Trophy, coming off successes with the 2011 World Cup.

Captain MS Dhoni has once again captained his side to success, and India continue their spectacular form with absolute dominance in the Champions Trophy winning all their 5 games.

And it is over. An amazing Champions Trophy comes to an end, with India in glory and proving their youthful team with experience is the way forward in cricket.

Your Last Ever Champions Trophy Winners, India.
Triumphant – again.

Image Courtesy: GETTY IMAGES
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ICC Champions Trophy 2013: India vs. Sri Lanka

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India secured their place in the Final of the ICC Champions Trophy following an emphatic 8-wicket win when they outclassed Sri Lanka in Cardiff.

Dhoni will captain India in the Final when they head to Edgbaston to face England in the last tournament of it’s kind.

Sri Lanka and India were declared joint-winners of the Champions Trophy Final in 2002, when 110 Overs of cricket ended in no result following heavy rain.

However, there was to be no draw this time round, in fact far from it as India dominated the Sri Lankans.

Batting first were Sri Lanka, who collated a score of 181 runs within 50 Overs, but the batsmen they were relying on had far too mediocre performances.

Captain Angelo Mathews was an influential part in Sri Lanka’s final performance as he hit 51 runs. But his fellow batsmen were simply not good enough to put up a challenging score for the Indians.

When Sri Lanka found themselves 41 – 3 following Sangakkara’s dismissal, many were expectant of a collapse to commence. Sri Lanka found their rhythm though and as they dragged on too 199 – 3 before Jayawardene fell to another wicket.

Some batting of significance for Sri Lanka but it was not enough, and India found themselves in a very comfortable position on the chase.

India only conceded two wickets as they stormed their way to 182 runs in 35 overs. 68 runs by Dahwan and 58 scored by Kohli allowed India to cruise to a comfortable win.

The Captain’s spoke of the game from their perspective:

“The bowlers have done really well but still there are a few areas where we’d like to improve. It was still doing a bit and we had to keep a few overs for the fast bowlers at the death, so the only two (seam-bowling) options were Virat and me. It went pretty well, which meant we could keep Ashwin for later when they had lots of a left-handers.”
– MS Dhoni, India Captain

“We didn’t play well but credit should go the Indian bowlers – they bowled really well. All our younger guys need to take responsibility. We choked in the semi-finals but the credit should go to the whole team for the character they showed after (we lost) the first game.”
– Angele Mathews, Sri Lanka Captain

 Sri Lanka under-perform in the Semi-Finals and they crash out hard to India.

The Indians look on some fine form in this tournament, but so do their opponents on Sunday, England.

Can India with the combination of experience and rising stars get their hands on the Champions Trophy?

It is going to be one spectacular final. England vs India in the ICC Champions Trophy Final, this Sunday.

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Quotes attained via BBC SPORT

ICC Champions Trophy 2013: Semi Final 1 – England vs. South Africa

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England secured their place in the ICC Champions Trophy Final following a dominant 7-wicket win over South Africa at The Oval.

Some fine bowling by James Anderson and James Tredwell had South Africa in some deep trouble, taking 5 wickets together in total and only conceding 33 runs.

South Africa’s David Miller and Rory Kleinveldt made sure it was not as easy a task for England, as their 95-run partnership got South Africa to 175.

Once again, Jonathon Trott was on-point with his batting, as he scored 82 not out from 84 balls – yet another consistent innings of supremacy and intelligence utilizing the bat going along with scores of 43 and 76 earlier on in the Champions Trophy.

In what has been quite a challenging tournament for England, following the ball-tampering allegations, mild batting and injuries to Swann and Pietersen, England have made a bold statement paving their way to the final in emphatic fashion.

Captain Alistair Cook described Sunday’s final as a dream-come-true for him when he walks out to the pitch at Edgbaston.

The South Africans again slip up on high stakes, with under performing in the semi-finals. Just as they looked like they had some potential, they eventually suffered another downfall in a 50-over ODI.

Despite the openers falling early, England’s chase was a very comfortable one, as they found themselves well ahead of the required run rate and had plenty of overs to face before pressure even crept in.
 
England storm through the ICC Champions Trophy final where they will face either India or Sri Lanka at Edgbaston on Sunday.

Can England go all the way in the last Champions Trophy of it’s kind?

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ICC Champions Trophy 2013: Pakistan vs. West Indies

South Africa prevailed at the Oval by a 2-wicket win over Pakistan in the second day of the Champions Trophy in a low-scoring game.

Only two of Pakistan’s batsmen scored more than 6 runs, and those two were Misbah ul-Haq who fell short of a century for 96 not out, and Jamshed who got 50 runs.

Their effort was not enough for the win because of a poor batting performance by their teammates.

West Indies were stunned early when they found themselves at 15 – 2, but managed to drive forward with an intent to win the game.
An unexpected contest emerged following a very small amount of runs but it did end up being a relatively close game.

A game of fast bowing and high action, but a game of which Pakistan fall short.

South Africa prevail in the 2nd Game of the Champions Trophy and put Pakistan in an uncomfortable start to the tournament.

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ICC Champions Trophy 2013: Australia v Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka beat Australia by 20 runs to clinsh the final semi-final spot and knock out Australia and New Zealand. 

The World Cup runners up had a decent time with the bat, reaching a score of 125-3 in 30 overs. Mahela Jayawardene was the star of the show for the Lankans, reaching 11000 ODI runs and becoming the eighth man to do so top scoring with a blistering 84 from 81 balls in an innings including eleven fours. The main threat with ball in hand for the Aussies was none other than Mitchell Johnson, taking figures of 3-48 while Mckay, Faulkner and Doherty also took a wicket each as Sri Lanka reached 253-8 meaning that Australia would need to make their target of 254 within 29.1 overs to go through on net run rate.

Australia started their chase with all guns blazing and were on track with a total of 41-1 after just 5 overs. Such big-hitting was needed to get the Aussies in the mix for the semis and it never arrived, Shane Watson got out early for 5, Glenn Maxwell only got 32 and Mitchell Marsh was bowled by Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews for 4 and soon the innings was tumbling at 168-8 but it was clear for sometime that they were never going to reach the target in such a small amount of time. Wickets were evenly shared among the Sri Lanka bowlers but Kulasekara took a trebly and Malinga a couple. The notable batting performance came from Adam Voges who fell one short of a half-century. Last wicket pair Clint Mckay and Xavier Doherty showed immense resistance to the Sri Lanka attack with a stand of 41 and would have won it for Australia with plenty of overs left but Dilshan took the wicket of Mckay and the rest, as we know, is history.

Sri Lanka head on to face India in the Semi-Finals meanwhile England battle South Africa. Stay Tuned with TSM for Champions Trophy Coverage.

ICC Champions Trophy 2013: England vs. Sri Lanka

Sangakkara’s century dampened England’s Champions Trophy hopes after Sri Lanka defeated England by 7 wickets at The Oval.

An unbeaten 134 runs by Sangakaara – aided by good innings by Jayawardene, Kulasekera and Dilshan – was enough to see of earlier half-centuries by Cook, Trott and Root.

With the impressive batting performances by both teams, the bowlers suffered with many going for expensive totals.

Ravi Bopara stepped up to the mark with 33* from 13 but alas in vein as England suffered the loss.

Sri Lanka opened up the opportunity to progress if they defeat Australia in the upcoming match.

A great team batting effort by Sri Lanka allowed them to have such a good win despite an England side with good strengths.

Sri Lanka revive their hopes in the tournament, and leave the upcoming games being pivotal.

Excellent batting performance by Sri Lanka that gives them a triumphant victory, and Sangakaara is the influential batsmen with an inspired century.

Stay tuned with TheSportMatrix.com for Champions Trophy Coverage
Image Credits: BBC Sport, GETTY IMAGES

ICC Champions Trophy 2013: South Africa vs. West Indies

South Africa reached the Semi-Finals following a thrilling tie between West Indies in yet another match that fell victim to the typical British weather.

South Africa had an excellent first innings, with a score of 230 – 6 in a 31-over innings due to the rain. Ingram’s 73 for 63 was the cornerstone of the remarkable innings.

West Indies response with the bat was indeed lackluster with the rain also to blame for a poor performance.

The Duckworth Lewis method revised the score. Samuels and Pollard indeed raised hopes for West Indies, but they will be felt hard-done-by courtesy of the rain.

Pollard’s effort was not enough. Courtesy: AFP

West Indies had matched South Africa’s score via the Duckworth Lewis method.

Just as West Indies were going to pass that score, rain abondoned play resulting in a draw.

Both teams took one point each away from the game. South Africa progressed on to the Semi-Finals meanwhile West Indies fail in a valiant effort.

Stay tuned with TheSportMatrix.com for Champions Trophy 2013 Coverage
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ICC Champions Trophy 2013: England vs. New Zealand

England secured the place in the Semi-Finals of the Champions Trophy in a triumph over both The Blacks and the rain with a 10-run win. 

It was raining in Cardiff and this delayed play for several hours before the game was reduced to 24 overs.

England were bowled all out for 169 runs, starting off with a solid 64-run innings by captain Cook proving a pivotal part of England’s batting total.

There was a drastic deterioration for England, who were 159 – 6 but found themselves 169 all out.

Kyle Mills’ 4 – 30 was of paramount importance for New Zealand in their attempt to restrict England of further adding to their score.

England slowly edged their way to victory against New Zealand, and the wickets continued to fall – however New Zealand completed the overs with 2 wickets to spare.

There was a late resistance effort by New Zealand in an attempt to revive the effort but it was too little too late.

Captain Alistair Cook admitted that it was a ‘stressful’ win for England, saying “It was quite a stressful day – it was a nerve-wracking time”.

England now qualify for the Semi-Finals, but could either face South Africa or India, dependant on Australia’s performance against Sri Lanka.

Stay tuned with TheSportMatrix.com for extensive Champions Trophy Coverage.
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ICC Champions Trophy 2013: India vs. Pakistan

India further exemplified their Champions Trophy dominance with an easy win over rivals Pakistan. 

It was yet another game of which was heavily affected by the rain, as play was stopped numerous times courtesy of the rain pouring down at Edgbaston. This resulted in the match being reduced in overs and reverting to the Duckworth-Lewis method.

India reached their revised target of 102 runs within 19.1 overs, following the Duckworth-Lewis method being applied to Pakistan’s 165 in 39.4 overs.

India’s stellar bowling display was also pivotal in them getting the win. Picture Courtesy: AFP

Pakistan – who were already eliminated from the tournament – really had little incentive in the match against a team who had already qualified. And it showed being bowled out for 165 after a long-winded innings lasting over 39 overs.

India were on top form with an eight-wicket victory over Pakistan and Dhawan had a terrific innings striking 48 runs from 41 balls.

Meanwhile, India’s bowlers had Pakistan troubled too, as Bhuvneshwar Kumar was 2 – 19.

India maintain a 100% record in the tournament, looking very strong with fresh new talent following the paths paved by the veterans. Plus they now claim the bragging rights over their rivals.

Image Courtesy: EMPICS

Pakistan’s dissapointing Champions Trophy campaign comes to a crushing end with another poor performance in the tournament with 3 consecutive losses.

India look very strong coming off the group stages, this could indeed be the team that goes all the way in the Champions Trophy. 

Stay tuned with TheSportMatrix.com for extensive Champions Trophy coverage.
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ICC Champions Trophy 2013: Australia vs. New Zealand

New Zealand and Australia walked away with a point each after their Champions Trophy encounter was abandoned due to rain.

Australia put together a score of 243 runs, whilst conceding 8 wickets during the fifty overs. The notable performance came from Adam Voges, who hit 71 for The Aussies.

Adam Voges had the best batting performance in the match. Image Courtesy: Associated Press ©AP

There was a lot of controversy surrounding Australia, as they had dropped David Warner. This comes following an alleged attack from Warner on England’s win over Australia in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Claims that it was an ‘unprovoked’ attack on Joe Root and the ECB have stated that Warner has since then apologized following the altercation.

Warner was dropped from the side following the incident. Image Courtesy: GETTY IMAGES

Just 15 overs in to New Zealand’s innings, they were 51 – 2. Australia’s Clinton McKay picked up both wickets against New Zealand, but things were cut short as rain stopped play.

Had there been 5 more overs, a result would be determined and one team would probably take the win.

The English weather is back to it’s typical form. It gave us some great days to start the tournament, but now has stopped a game short resulting in a draw.

Its always a shame to see a game abandoned especially due to the rain. Australia and New Zealand both take the one point. #CT13 #AUSvNZ
— The Sport Matrix (@TheSportMatrix) June 12, 2013

The draw between New Zealand and Australia means that England are just a win away from qualifying for the Semi-Finals, in their way stands Sri Lanka.

A shame that the rain ends what could have been an interesting game, but the English weather comes to the despise of many cricket fans, once again.

Full ICC Champions Trophy Coverage is available on TheSportMatrix.com
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