For the first time since the inception of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy, the West Indies’ name is not on the list of teams which the organizers announced for the 2017 edition.
The Caribbean side, which won the event in 2004 in England, failed to qualify for the tournament last year as they were not among the top eight One-Day International teams at the Sept. 30, 2015 cutoff date.
Minnows Bangladesh and the embattled Pakistan sneaked in to gain qualification ahead of the West Indies.
World champions, Australia, head group A, while reigning Champions Trophy kings, India, tops Group B for the tournament set to run from June 1-18 next year.
“The ICC Champions trophy 2017 is not just an ODI competition; it carries a great deal of value since it is being played just three months before the ICC Cricket World 2019 qualification cutoff date. As such, every point earned here could be crucial,” ICC chief executive, Dave Richardson said.
“The announcement of the ICC Champions Trophy schedule 12 months before the start of the event will provide sufficient time to all eight sides to plan for the tournament and arrived in England and Wales fully prepared and geared up so they can collect enough points to directly quality for the 2019 extravaganza,” he said.
Hosts England will raise the curtain on the tournament with a clash against Bangladesh at the Oval in Group A which also includes New Zealand.
