Champions Trophy may stay till 2021

LONDON: The ‘dream final’ at the

Oval

on Sunday has ensured a fresh lease on life for the Champions Trophy, which the

International Cricket Council

(

ICC

) now expects to stage in 2021 in India as scheduled.

According to highly-placed sources in the world body, the India-Pakistan games and strong spectator support has ensured the Champions Trophy won’t be called off immediately. “As of now the Champions Trophy stays and will be held as scheduled,” said sources.

“There may be some pressure from the broadcasters to replace this event with a biennial

World T20

, but we may be able to convince them to carry on, seeing the figures generated in this tournament.”

Although official figures are still to come in, Sunday’s India-Pakistan final was believed to be watched by over 330 million, with the official broadcaster in India charging up to Rs 1 crore for a 30-second commercial slot.

If India stages the event in 2012, it will be the second temporary reprieve for the Champions Trophy, which was supposed to have been scrapped after the 2013 edition.

No World T20 in 2018
The ICC may also skip the World T20 in 2018. The tournament will now likely be held in 2020. "The reason is most teams are busy playing bilateral cricket. India have so many bilateral series planned, their schedule is so haphazard. They play 13 Tests in one home season and none for a while after that," said a source involved in the scheduling of ICC events, adding: "It is because of these reasons that the World T20 won't be held in 2018.However, it will be back in 2020, probably in Australia.Member nations feel the event needs to be spaced out so there is no fatigue factor."

No increase in ICC revenue share for BCCI?
The ICC annual conference begins here from Monday and although the matter of India's decreased revenue share is likely to come up for discussion, the world body seems in no mood to relent. "Member boards are unlikely to give in to their demands. India earns so much from the IPL, from TV rights, from bilateral series. Their share from the ICC is only a tiny part of their income," said a source. India's share has been cut to $293 million, with an additional $100m offer, which is less than their share under the 'Big Three' plan.