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India, Pakistan deliberately put in the same group for Champions Trophy, admits ICC chief

News Agencies | Updated on: 10 February 2017, 1:49 IST

International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive David Richardson has admitted that they have deliberately put India and their arch-rival Pakistan in the same group for the next summer's Champions Trophy in England.

The top eight sides on the ICC ODI team rankings on September 30, 2015, have qualified for this tournament with world champion Australia seeded number-one and leading Group A.

Meanwhile, defending champion India is seeded second and leads Group B, which also comprises third seed South Africa, fifth seed Sri Lanka and eighth seed Pakistan.

It is for the fifth successive tournament that the two teams were drawn in the same groups, with the ICC admitting for the first time of purposely doing it.

The 56-year-old insisted that they wanted to try to put India versus Pakistan in the event, keeping in mind the huge number of crown it attracts.

He added that the matches between the two sides would give a massive kick to the tournament.

Richardson, however, ruled out that fixing would have a negative impact on the integrity or fairness of the upcoming tournament.

India will launch their Champions Trophy title defence against Pakistan when the two Asian powerhouses go head to head at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on June 4, 2017.

-ANI

First published: 3 June 2016, 1:02 IST