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The ninth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy is set to begin on Wednesday, February 19, with the opening match between the hosts Pakistan and New Zealand at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi. With eight of the top nations vying for the coveted trophy in 2025, the competition across 15 matches in 19 days is expected to keep the fans on the edge of their seats.
With the return of the ICC Champions Trophy, one of the premier ODI tournaments in the world, happening after eight years, it’s only fitting to look back at what’s gone on in this competition since the inception in 1998 as the ICC Knockout Trophy. In this article below, SportsTiger details the seven Champions Trophy winners and their journey to victory.
7 ICC Champions Trophy winners and their journey to victory
South Africa (1998)
In the year 1998, the single-elimination ICC Knockout Trophy was played for the first-time ever in men’s cricket in Kenya, and South Africa won their first major title in the sport at the global ICC level. After defeating England and Sri Lanka in the quarter-final and semi-final respectively, the Proteas faced West Indies in the final, and in pursuit of the 246-run target, they managed to get over the line with four wickets in hand and three overs to spare.
New Zealand (2000)
Just like South Africa, New Zealand won their first ICC tournament after going past three opponents in a single-elimination ICC Knockout Trophy, which was played in Bangladesh in the year 2000. Following their triumphs against Zimbabwe and Pakistan in the quarter-final and semi-final respectively, the final was a last over thriller against India, in which the Black Caps were able to chase down a 265-run target with two balls to spare.
India (2002, 2013)
The name of the ICC Knockout Trophy was changed to ICC Champions Trophy before the 2002 tournament in Sri Lanka, and it became a full-fledged tournament with group stages rather than a single-elimination tourney for the past two editions. After defeating England and Zimbabwe in group stage, they won a close semi-final against South Africa before the final was washed out twice against hosts Sri Lanka, which meant that both teams shared the coveted trophy.
In the 2013 edition, which was played in England, India won five matches in a row, to win the ICC Champions Trophy without sharing it with any other country. After defeating South Africa, West Indies, and Pakistan in group stage with relative ease, they did the same in the semi-final against Sri Lanka before getting the better of hosts England in a very close rain-curtailed final on the .
Sri Lanka (2002)
Sri Lanka got the better of Pakistan and Netherlands in the group stage of the ICC Champions Trophy 2002 in one-sided matches, to reach the semi-final where they were too much to handle for Australia. In the coveted final on their home patch, Sri Lanka found themselves in a tough spot, which was played twice because of rain, but ultimately, since the matches weren’t completed, they had to share the trophy with India.
West Indies (2004)
The ICC Champions Trophy 2004, which was played in England, saw West Indies make a great start to their campaign with comfortable wins against Bangladesh and South Africa in group stage. After running through Pakistan in the semi-final, West Indies had to face the hosts England in the final, who gave them more than a tough fight, but they managed to chase down a 218-run target with two wickets in hand, to win the coveted trophy.
Australia (2006, 2009)
After failing to make a mark in the first four editions of the tournament, a very determined Australian cricket team arrived for the ICC Champions Trophy 2006 in India, but they lost the opening group match against West Indies, putting their campaign in jeopardy. Following that, the Aussies bounced back with commanding wins against India and England, to reach the semi-final, where they got the better of New Zealand before meeting West Indies in the rain-affected final on D/L method.
In defence of their title, Australia were able to win their group stage matches in the ICC Champions Trophy 2009 in South Africa with ease against Pakistan and West Indies, while the contest against India was a wash out. After trouncing arch-rivals England in the semi-final, the Australians were able to get the better of New Zealand, to successfully become the reigning two-time champions.
Pakistan (2017)
In the previous and 2017 edition of the ICC Champions Trophy, which was played in England, Pakistan were literally an afterthought in terms of their title credentials. After scraping into the semi-final with wins against South Africa and Sri Lanka, the Pakistan cricket team defeated the favourites England to reach the final against arch-rivals, to whom they had already lost in the group stage, but they returned the favour in style in the summit clash with an 180-run win.
