India will begin its ICC Champions Trophy title defense with a mouthwatering Group B clash against archrival Pakistan in next year's tournament in England, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced Wednesday. 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 18 final. Host England will take on fast-improving Bangladesh in the June 1 opener, also at The Oval, according to the fixture schedule announced Wednesday. Group A also contains twice winner Australia, which begins its campaign against trans-Tasman rival New Zealand in a repeat of last year's World Cup final in Melbourne in which the host prevailed. Apart from India and Pakistan, Group B also includes former champion Sri Lanka and South Africa. The top two from each group progress to the semifinals at Cardiff and Edgbaston on June 14 and June 15 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. England is hosting the tournament for the third time, having reached the final in 2004 and 2013. "The ICC Champions Trophy is an elite ODI competition, contested by the sport's top eight ranked sides featuring the finest 50-over cricketers," England captain Eoin Morgan said. "As professionals, we want to be involved in such intense competitions where our individual and team skills are tested almost each day." Unlike 2013, there will be a reserve day in place for next year's final. England and Wales Cricket Board director - events, Steve Elworthy said: "The ICC Champions Trophy was a huge success in 2013, with packed grounds and thrilling cricket, so we look forward to welcoming it back to England and Wales this time next year." The former South Africa paceman added: "It will start three years of global events in England and Wales, with the ICC Women's World Cup following shortly after and then the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2019." Group A: Australia, New Zealand, England, Bangladesh. Group B: India, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Pakistan. Fixtures Jun 01: England vs. Bangladesh, The Oval (d); Jun 02: Australia vs. New Zealand, Edgbaston (d); Jun 03: Sri Lanka vs. South Africa, The Oval (d); Jun 04: India vs. Pakistan, Edgbaston (d); Jun 05: Australia vs. Bangladesh, The Oval (d/n); Jun 06: England vs. New Zealand, Cardiff (d); Jun 07: Pakistan vs. South Africa, Edgbaston (d/n); Jun 08: India vs. Sri Lanka, The Oval (d); Jun 09: New Zealand vs. Bangladesh, Cardiff (d); Jun 10: England vs. Australia, Edgbaston (d); Jun 11: India vs. South Africa, The Oval (d); Jun 12: Sri Lanka vs. Pakistan, Cardiff (d); Jun 14: 1st semifinal (A1 vs. B2), Cardiff (d); Jun 15: 2nd semifinal (A2 vs. B1), Edgbaston (d); Jun 18: Final, The Oval (d); Jun 19: Reserve day (d).
