Bangladesh or Pakistan: Who will qualify for ICC Champions Trophy 2017?

There are still two years to go for the the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 but fate of two teams, Pakistan and Bangladesh on that event will be decided on within September 30 of this year. Sandipan Banerjee finds out the equation for these two Asian teams to qualify for the world class tournament in England.

International cricket is in its full flow after the end of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 and Indian Premier League (IPL). Most of the top teams are busy with their international assignments. However, two teams, Bangladesh and Pakistan are currently facing an interesting scenario regarding their qualification for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 in England.

According to International Cricket Council (ICC), the top eight teams in the official One-Day International (ODI) rankings on September 30, 2015 will qualify for the tournament. After their 0-3 humiliation against, Pakistan’s ODI rankings took a blow. Currently Azhar Ali’s team is ranked No. 9 in ICC ODI rankings. Bangladesh on the other hand are ranked No. 8 and West Indies 7.

As per the current schedule the Caribbean boys wont play any One-Day International (ODI) cricket, before the deadline, September 30. But their spot in the tournament is more or less secure, thanks to their higher rating points (3094). The battle will be between Pakistan and Bangladesh for one spot. Though West Indies’ chances will take a hit, if both Bangladesh and Pakistan start performing well.

Within the deadline, Pakistan and Bangladesh will play two ODIs series each. The Pakistanis are currently playing a three-match series against Zimbabwe, later in July they will play a five-match series against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka. For Bangladesh, there will be six ODIs at home, three each against India and South Africa before September 30.

Now lets look at the equations for qualification for Bangladesh and Pakistan:

Equation 1:

If Mashrafe Morataza’s team win one ODI each against India and South Africa, they will have 91 points and will be at No. 7 position in the rankings on September 30. Which means Bangladesh will qualify for the Champions Trophy. The results of Pakistan matches won’t matter in that case.

Equation 2:

If Bangladesh win 1 of their six home matches, they have to depend on Zimbabwe or Sri Lanka to do them a favour. In this scenario, if Pakistan lose one game against Zimbabwe or Sri Lanka, they will miss out their Champions trophy spot and Bangladesh will qualify.

Equation 3:

If the ‘Bangla-tigers’ lose all six ODIs, still they can qualify. Then, Pakistan need to lose twice from their eight games. But any defeat against Zimbabwe will hurt Pakistan’s chances immensely and their loss will be Bangladesh’s gain. But if Pakistan win the ODI series against Sri Lanka 3-2, then they will go through.

Among these three equations, Bangladesh’s chances are looking bit encouraging. Their fate is in their hand. Whereas for Pakistan, who have played all the editions of Champions Trophy so far, its about winning almost everything and hoping India and South Africa will thrash the Bangladeshis.

(Sandipan Banerjee is a reporter at CricketCountry. Cricket has been the biggest passion for him since his childhood. So, when it came to choosing his career, he chose to turn his passion into his profession. Apart from cricket he likes mountain trekking, river rafting, and photography. His twitter handle is @im_sandipan)