The Champions what?

Talking "Champions Trophy" inevitably leads to cynicism—a competition that wanders like a lost soul.

The recent outgoing ICC chair, Greg Barclay, captured it perfectly when he admitted "presiding, if only notionally, over a game that was broken and ungovernable given the way its administration is structured."

Now, please, everyone sees a glaring flaw in cricket's governance, but no one can fix it. Right?

The widely respected author and cricket writer Gideon Haigh has rightfully taken the ICC to task many times, likely with more eloquence than your correspondent here! Haigh remains on the bit and will likely not back down. Still, the ICC remains a members club masquerading as a governing body, which is not unlike the current state of American democracy under Donald Trump.

Like all boy clubs, members' self-interests will always outweigh the protection of the wider game when decisions present themselves. This aligns with their finances being solely dependent on an Indian audience, which affords the BCCI's unbalanced influence over global governance. We know this, but what can be done? Right!

Whats your position on the BCCI’s current influence across the cricket world? Pls leave a comment, it would be great to hear from you

Oh, back to Mr. Barclay. The reason cited for his departure was his inability to schedule Champions Trophy venues. He later admitted there was so much cricket played that he had lost track of who was playing who and where—does that resonate? During his tenancy, three additional major franchise-based T20 leagues surfaced in the U.S., the UAE, and South Africa, two of which attracted significant Indian investment. The global calendar is splitting at the seams. Of course, Barclay blamed the members' self-interest for the shambles.

Barclay saved some of his most telling shots over the bow for Australia, highlighting their board's position on Afghanistan pointed to double standards. He cited multiple bilateral cancellations but then a willingness to play them in ICC events. "If you want to make a political statement, don't play them in a World Cup. Sure, it might cost you a semi-final place, but principles are principles. It's not about having half a principle."

Mr. Barclay was born in Hamilton, New Zealand and presents at the border as Canadian-New Zealand!

That said. In my view, at the most basic level, cricket is competing in an attention-deficit economy. Over the next three weeks, cricket will offer its middle-tier product, with most games asking for a seven-hour engagement window. What chance do you think? Even the express product is pushing the envelope at three hours. Maybe the only hope is hiding the remote!

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So here we are: Pakistan and Dubai.

If such a thing exists, the tournament will fill a gap between World Cup years and satisfy sponsors' appetites for a significant event. Again, it exemplifies the sport's chaos—from sudden rule changes to venue uncertainties. It seems oddly appropriate that Pakistan hosts this improvised event.

The team’s practice has been shoe-horned into current schedules in an effort to reacquaint with the 50-over game. In the post-Covid world, ODIs are the format teams have to cram the most to remember their playbooks. Many of the formats leading players have already decided that 100 overs is just too much bother. I read this and still find it hard to comprehend, “defending champions Pakistan haven’t played in the tournament for seven and a half years.”

With all that pessimism said!

Despite the tournament's hazy arrangements, the stakes remain high for many teams.

India will seek redemption from their recent T20 final loss, and after missing the Test Championship final, England aims to maintain their white-ball dominance, although this looks on the wane, and South Africa will try to break their white-ball final-losing streak.

Meanwhile, emerging teams like Afghanistan look to establish themselves further, and hosts Pakistan will dream of creating what could be a decade-defining win in front of their home fans. I nearly forgot. There's Australia, which will look like a very different team in terms of bowling. But, as always, we expect them to play well when it matters.

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I’m looking forward to following the tournament, albeit from a frigid but picturesque New England. It is worth noting that two of the three closest bottle shops have South Asian owners, and they are always up for a cricket chat! I’ll be back to you soon.