Australian ODI legend Adam Gilchrist has called for a top order shake-up ahead of the Champions Trophy.
The Aussies won consecutive tournaments in 2006 and 2009, but have not held the trophy in more than a decade and it’s the one piece of silverware missing from their cabinet.
Gilchrist opened the batting alongside Shane Watson during the 2006 triumph, and he knows the current openers are far from locked in ahead of the team’s first match on Saturday.
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Matt Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk have struggled to find runs and Australia has won just two of their eight most recent ODIs.
The team was thumped by Sri Lanka in two matches last week.
Steve Smith of Australia. Getty
Gilchrist says Steve Smith could be elevated to open the batting, while Travis Head is the obvious selection up top.
“Obviously Travis is going to be there whenever he’s fit and fresh and they are picking whatever is their best team,” Gilchrist told ABC radio.
“I like Matt Short being in there – that would be a nice combination, left hand-right hand. That would be the preferable way for me to go.
“But I do think Steve Smith could open – we’ve seen him do it in T20 cricket really well. Maybe he’s too valuable in that middle order.
“I can’t see a reason why you wouldn’t want him facing as many balls as possible in a 50-over game – it would be a very viable option to get him up there.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the Champions Trophy.
Australia’s Jake Fraser-McGurk leaves the ground after losing his wicket to Sri Lanka. AP
WHAT IS THE CHAMPIONS TROPHY?
The Champions Trophy is a cricket tournament that is facilitated by the International Cricket Council (ICC) every four years.
The tournament is played in ODI format and features the top-eight ranked teams from the 2023 ODI World Cup, including automatic qualification for Pakistan as the host nation.
Formerly named the ICC Knockout Trophy and held every two years, the competition’s schedule was changed to occur quadrennially from 2009.
However, the tournament went on hiatus due to the COVID pandemic — until now.
WHO IS HOSTING THE CHAMPIONS TROPHY?
Pakistan will host the tournament but all of India’s matches — including any finals if they progress — will be held in Dubai because of political tension between the two countries.
The countries will face each other in the group stages in Dubai.
SCHEDULE
The Champions Trophy kicks off on Wednesday, February 19 (AEDT) with Pakistan taking on New Zealand at National Stadium, Karachi and concludes with the tournament’s final at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Sunday, March 9.
Australia’s campaign gets under way on Saturday, February 22 with its Group B match against England. Fixtures against South Africa and Afghanistan will follow before the knockout stages.
Australia’s group stage fixture:
February 22: Australia v England, Lahore, 8pm
February 25: Australia v South Africa, Rawalpindi, 8pm
February 28: Afghanistan v Australia, Lahore, 8pm
SQUADS
Group A
Bangladesh: Nazmul Hossain Shanto (c), Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali Anik, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Parvez Hossai Emon, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana.
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.
New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young.
Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Group B
Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Farid Malik, Naveed Zadran.
Australia: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa. Travelling reserve: Cooper Connolly.
England: Jos Buttler (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Tom Banton, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood.
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Corbin Bosch.
FORMAT
As part of the Champions Trophy, the eight participating teams are divided into two groups with each team to play its fellow group members once.
At the conclusion of the round-robin fixtures, the top two teams from each group will qualify for the knockout stages.
Irrespective of their position on the points table, if India qualifies for the semi finals they will play in Dubai and Pakistan in Lahore.
March 4: Semi-final 1, Dubai (8pm AEDT)
March 5: Semi-final 2, Lahore (8pm AEDT)
March 9: Final, Lahore or Dubai (8pm AEDT)
HOW TO WATCH
Every match will be streamed on Prime Video.
As Prime Video is the Australian rights holder for all ICC events until the end of 2027, no matches will be broadcast on free-to-air TV.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
1998: South Africa champions
2000: New Zealand
2002: India and Sri Lanka
2004: West Indies
2006: Australia
2009: Australia
2013: India
2017: Pakistan
Australia has won the Champions Trophy on two occasions, going back-to-back in 2006 and 2009.
As well as this edition’s grand prize of $3.5 million for the winning team, players from the victorious squad are also presented with a white blazer.
