Trophy tests future of TV technology as aid to umpires

The Champions Trophy has had considerable trouble finding a proper place in the scheme of cricketing things. Its billing as the second most important one-day tournament has never persuaded legions of doubters who cannot understand what it stands for, or why it exists, and would prefer to see it buried down a dark hole never to be played for, or thought of again.

Five months before the World Cup when the same teams will be in action all over again, albeit on a different continent, seems only to add grist to this mill. It is a natural candidate for Room 101. Who needs it? Who has won it before? Who cares?

Malcolm Gray, the president of the International Cricket Council, was in bullish mode when invited to address the point of the Champions Trophy yesterday on the eve of the first game: "It is unanimous among the ICC that we can accommodate both tournaments and that the cricket-loving public want them."

So they do, for the moment. Gray is right and the sniffy brigade who protest about too much cricket (when they really mean too much one-day cricket) can lump it. This third version of the competition will also experiment with technology to help make decisions in a way never seen before.

The competition of 16 matches – the first 14 on consecutive days – which begins here in Sri Lanka today will feature the game's leading players. Except for some who are injured, mostly from England, who do not arrive until tomorrow.

Sachin Tendulkar, Shane Warne, Brian Lara, Allan Donald, Waqar Younis, Andy Flower and Nathan Astle are all staying in the same hotel. Not to mention Steve Tikolo, Khaled Mashud and Roland Lefebvre. Apart from being the ultimate paradise for autograph hunters – and Sri Lanka rates pretty high on the heavenly scale with or without cricket – the Trophy is expected to make $26m (£16.7m).

Half of that will go to the development of the game in countries where it is played little or not at all. The tournament is usually disparaged for having been designed largely as a television event but crowds here in the two stadiums are expected to hold up well.

Not least, the Champions Trophy has been given unrivalled publicity by the almighty row which has engulfed it in the past month. Cricket is no stranger to division but the dispute over players' image rights and the conflict between personal and competition sponsors threatened a player boycott which would have had disastrous financial consequences for the game.

India were the last to sign up on Monday, when a compromise was reached over players' personal endorsements during their Test series with West Indies. But all the settlements made round the world cover only this competition. Then, it is back to square one, with deals needing quickly to be hammered out in time for the World Cup. Malcolm Speed, the ICC's chief executive, said: "Our focus is to get through to this event. When we're through we'll sit down with the teams which still have concerns and we'll need to have our partner, Global Cricket Corporation, and sponsors and broadcasters involved."

GCC, which comes under the umbrella of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, has paid S$550m for the rights to all ICC competitions – primarily the World Cup and the Trophy – and was becoming anxious when players began to question their involvement. "If the full Indian team hadn't come the damage might have been tenfold," Gray said.

If the next few weeks achieve nothing else, they will be fascinating for helping to determine the future of television technology in decision-making. Umpires will wear Umpire Communication Vests consisting of a radio strapped around their waists and attached to an earpiece. This will enable them to refer all contentious issues to the third umpire, except whether the ball did or not carry for a catch. Television has been too indecisive on that issue too often.

The difference is that the third umpire will now only have a consultancy role. The on-field umpire will make the decision. The list covers leg before appeals to check height and where the ball pitched, bat-pad catches, catches behind when the ball might have struck a pad or clothing instead of the bat, and run-outs and stumpings.

"It is an important trial," said Speed. "We're not using aids such as Hawkeye or snickometers. We want to give power to the on-field umpire."

The tournament has changed format from its first two stagings, in Dacca and Nairobi, when it was a straight knock-out event. Now there are 12 teams split into four pools of three, giving all teams at least two matches. The pool winners will contests the semi-finals.

Australia, surprise, surprise, will start as favourites for Trophy. They have been in splendid form, winning a recent series in Kenya, where they hammered Pakistan but came close to losing to Kenya. After their travails in England, the Sri Lankans are in prime form again. On their home territory they will be dangerous. There should be a new winner to follow South Africa and New Zealand.

* Drug testing is to be introduced in the World Cup, in line with South African government policy. A list of banned substances has been drawn up.

ICC Trophy fixtures

GROUP A: Australia, Bangladesh, New Zealand
GROUP B: England, India, Zimbabwe
GROUP C: Kenya, South Africa, West Indies
GROUP D: Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Netherlands

Today: Pakistan v Sri Lanka (day/ night)

Tomorrow: South Africa v West Indies

Sept 14: India v Zimbabwe (d/n)

Sept 15: Australia v New Zealand

Sept 16: Sri Lanka v Netherlands (d/n)

Sept 17: West Indies v Kenya

Sept 18: England v Zimbabwe (d/n)

Sept 19: Australia v Bangladesh

Sept 20: South Africa v Kenya (d/n)

Sept 21: Pakistan v Netherlands

Sept 22: India v England (d/n)

Sept 23: New Zealand v Bangladesh

Sept 24: Rest day

Sept 25: First semi-final; Group B winners v Group C winners (d/n)

Sept 26: Reserve for first semi-final

Sept 27: Second semi-final; Group A winners v Group D winners (d/n)

Sept 28: Reserve day for second semi-final

Sept 29: FINAL (d/n)

Sept 30: Reserve day for final