The Champions Trophy is going to be held in eight years. However, there are concerns about Bangladesh getting a chance to participate in the event in 2025.
An ICC spokesperson confirmed on Sunday that the format for participation in the Champions Trophy was approved by the ICC in 2021. According to this system, the top seven teams in the group stage points table of this year’s World Cup and hosts Pakistan will play in the Champions Trophy. The place of concern about Bangladesh is here.
Bangladesh is currently in ninth place in the 2023 World Cup points list. Their points are 2 in six games. Shakib Al Hasan-Chandika Hathurusinghe has only three matches left in this tournament. Their opponents are Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia respectively.
If they do not win any of the three matches, Bangladesh will finish this World Cup in ninth or tenth place. In that case, the Tigers should be spectators in the Champions Trophy.
Bangladesh team leader Shakib said in the press conference after the defeat against the Netherlands on Saturday in Kolkata, ‘There is no possibility of the semi-finals (of the World Cup), but I want to do a little better. We have to be in the top eight if we want to play in the Champions Trophy. We still have three games in hand at that place, although it is difficult for us to turn around in such a situation.’
The ICC spokesperson’s comments have come as a surprise to several cricket boards. Even ICC full member countries like West Indies, Ireland and Zimbabwe are not considered for participation in the Champions Trophy as they have not reached the World Cup.
