2 Jun 2016

Black Caps to face Australia again in ICC tournament

8:24 am on 2 June 2016

The Black Caps have been drawn with Australia, England and Bangladesh in their pool for next year's ICC Champions Trophy 50-over cricket tournament in England.

New Zealand's Mitchell Santner plays a shot during the World T20 match between India and New Zealand in Nagpur on 15 March 2016.

New Zealand's Mitchell Santner plays a shot during the World T20 match between India and New Zealand in Nagpur. Photo: AFP

Second in importance only to the World Cup and featuring the top eight teams in the world, the 2013 edition was supposed to be the last but the ICC decided it should continue.

The eighth tournament will feature 15 matches across three venues in England and Wales with The Oval hosting the June 18th final.

New Zealand won the Champions Trophy in 2000.

India will begin their title defence with a mouthwatering Group B clash against arch-rivals Pakistan.

Hosts England will take on fast-improving Bangladesh in the June 1st opener, also at The Oval.

Group A also contains twice winners Australia, who begin their campaign against trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand in a repeat of last year's World Cup final in Melbourne in which the hosts prevailed.

Apart from India and Pakistan, Group B also includes former champions Sri Lanka and South Africa. The top two from each group progress to the semi-finals at Cardiff and Edgbaston on June 14th and June 15th respectively.

"Having won the event in 2013, we know how intense this event can be and we are under no illusion that it will be any different next year," India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said in an ICC statement.

"In the ICC Champions Trophy, it doesn't matter which other sides are in your group or who your semi-final or final opponent is.

"You have limited time and the key to success is consistency, and being on top of your game each time you step out on to the field. There is very little room for error."

England are hosting the tournament for the third time, having reached the finals in 2004 and 2013.

The West Indies isn't competing as they were ranked outside the top eight at the time of confirmation.

Group A: Australia, New Zealand, England, Bangladesh

Group B: India, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Pakistan

-Reuters