Birmingham’s Edgbaston Stadium has today been allocated five of the biggest fixtures in one of cricket’s most prestigious global tournaments, the ICC Champions Trophy 2017.
Cricket’s two biggest rivalries are set to be renewed at Edgbaston in the ICC Champions Trophy with India against Pakistan on Sunday 4 June and England versus Australia on Saturday 10 June. The venue also hosts New Zealand versus Australia on Friday 2 June, Pakistan versus South Africa on Wednesday 7 June and the tournament’s second semi-final on Thursday 15 June.
Neil Snowball, Chief Executive of Warwickshire County Cricket Club, said: “The ICC Champions Trophy brings together the top eight one-day international teams in world cricket and to be awarded the biggest matches in the group stages is a massive coup for Edgbaston and Birmingham.
“Edgbaston hosted the same four group games, and the final, in the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013, which showcased the stadium’s revamped facilities to the international players, management and coaching teams, media, supporters and stakeholders within the game.
“We’re thrilled to play such a leading role in the tournament again and look forward to working with our city stakeholders to provide a very warm welcome to the thousands of visitors to Birmingham next summer.”
The ICC Champions Trophy will take place over 18-days from 1-18 June 2017, with 15 matches spread across the three host venues of Edgbaston, the Cardiff Wales Stadium and The Oval in London.
Leader of Birmingham City Council, Cllr John Clancy, said: “Once again Edgbaston is putting Birmingham on the global sporting map and, while guaranteed to excite cricket fans, these matches will also significantly boost our city economy.”
Emma Gray, Director of Marketing and Communications at Visit Birmingham, the city’s leisure tourism programme, said: “Birmingham continues to strengthen its reputation as an established, reliable host on the global sporting stage. The decision to award Edgbaston Stadium five matches of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy – including the mouth-watering fixtures between England and Australia, plus India and Pakistan – shows how positively the city is regarded by cricket fans and dignitaries.
“More than one million international tourists visited Birmingham last year. Sporting events like these are a fantastic way of further raising the city’s profile across the world, particularly to some of our most important visitor markets. This was demonstrated when Birmingham successfully hosted fixtures of the 2013 tournament, delivering an economic impact of £17.7 million and reaching half a billion people.”
The initial release of tickets for the ICC Champions Trophy will be made through a ballot, which will open on 1 September and close at the end of the month on 30 September. All remaining tickets will then go on general sale in October. Further details will be revealed at www.edgbaston.com.
