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London: Defending champions India have been seeded second and will take on arch-rivals Pakistan in their opening cricket match of next year’s ICC Champions Trophy after the two countries were on Wednesday placed in the same group for the event to be held in England.The Asian powerhouses will go head to head at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on June 4. The 18-day tournament will run from June 1 to 18 and will also see matches played at the Cardiff Wales Stadium in Cardiff and The Oval in London.A couple of days before the all-Asian clash, Australia and New Zealand will lock horns in a repeat of the World Cup 2015 final at Edgbaston.
Event host and 2004 and 2013 finalists England will take on Bangladesh in the tournament-opener at The Oval, which will also be the venue for a battle between former champions Sri Lanka and South Africa on June 3.The tournament schedule was announced at The Oval exactly a year before the first ball is to be bowled in the tournament, in which a total of 15 matches – including three knock-out games — will be played over two and a half weeks.The top eight sides as on September 30, 2015 have qualified for this tournament, with world champions Australia seeded number-one. They head Group A, which also includes fourth seeds New Zealand, sixth seeds England and seventh seeds Bangladesh, who will be returning to this competition for the first time since 2006.India lead Group B, which also comprises third seeds South Africa, fifth seeds Sri Lanka and eighth seeds Pakistan.
The top two sides from each group will progress to the semifinals, which will be played at Cardiff and Edgbaston on June 14 and 15 respectively, with The Oval hosting the final. There will be a reserve day for the final.
