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Take a look at the essential events, concepts, terms, quotes, or phenomena every day and brush up your knowledge. Here’s your knowledge nugget for today.
(Relevance: Given the unpredictability of the UPSC CSE and past questions like the ICC World Test Championship in Prelims 2021, aspirants should pay attention to major sports events. While an in-depth study is not necessary, having a basic understanding of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and key details can be beneficial for the exam.)
India on Sunday ended a 12-year wait to clinch a record-extending third Champions Trophy title, beating New Zealand by 4 wickets in the Champions Trophy 2025 final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The win helped India break the tie with Australia with a record third Champions Trophy title, adding onto the wins in 2002 (shared with Sri Lanka) and 2013.
1. The tournament was originally called the ICC Knockout when it began in 1998 in Dhaka (Bangladesh). It was renamed the ICC Champions Trophy in 2002 and was held every two years until 2009. After that, the event transitioned to a four-year cycle.
2. The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 kicked off at the National Stadium in Karachi on February 19, with Pakistan taking on New Zealand. India, who were the runners-up from 2017 and two-time winners, played their first game on February 20 against Bangladesh in Dubai.
3. Tournament format: The format of the competition has endured since 2006. The eight teams are divided into two groups of four teams each. Each team plays once against every other team in the group. And then, the top-two teams from each group advance to the semi-finals, determining the two that feature in the summit clash.
4. Teams that played: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, New Zealand were in Group A while the remaining four teams — Australia, Afghanistan, England, South Africa — were in group B.
| Do you Know? |
| The Champions Trophy victory is India’s seventh ICC title win since Indian team clinched the 1983 World Cup under Kapil Dev’s captaincy at Lord’s. The team have now won two CWCs, three CTs and two T20 World Cups, following Australia’s record 10 titles. Rohit also became only the second Indian skipper after MS Dhoni to win multiple ICC trophies. |
Previously the top-eight ranked ODI sides would feature in the Champions Trophy. But for the 2025 edition, the qualification used the results of the 2023 edition of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. The teams that occupied the top-eight spots in the 10-team points table, including the hosts Pakistan, sealed their place for the Champions Trophy.
| Do you Know? |
| The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the global governing body for cricket. Representing 108 members, the ICC governs and administrates the game and works with our members to grow the sport. The ICC is also responsible for the staging of all ICC Events. The ICC presides over the ICC Code of Conduct, playing conditions, the Decision Review System and other ICC regulations. |
The eight teams at this year’s Champions Trophy competed for $2.24 million. The runners-up received $1.12 million, while each losing semi-finalist took home $560,000. The total prize pool had increased by 53 percent from the 2017 edition, reaching $6.9 million.
| India ICC titles victories |
| ODI – 1983 World Cup, 2011 World Cup, 2002 Champions Trophy, 2013 Champions Trophy, 2025 Champions Trophy
T20I – 2007 T20 World Cup, 2024 T20 World Cup |
(UPSC often tests conceptual clarity through real-life examples, making cricket ball swing is a relevant and engaging illustration of aerodynamics.)
1. One of the important highlight of the Champions Trophy 2025 was the Indian pacer Mohammad Shami’s appeal to the ICC to lift the ban on using saliva to shine cricket balls that was introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic.
2. Since 2011, two balls have been used per innings in ODIs. This means that balls are not as scuffed up as they used to be. Add to this the prohibition on using saliva, generating reverse swing has gotten much more difficult.“We are trying to reverse, but you are not getting the use of saliva into the game,” Shami told reporters in Dubai. In this context, it becomes essential to understand Bernoulli Principle.
3. Bernoulli’s principle states that an increase in the speed of a fluid leads to a decrease in its pressure. This fundamental concept in fluid dynamics is key to understanding the aerodynamics of a swinging cricket ball.
4. Swing in cricket refers to the lateral movement of the ball in the air before it pitches, caused by a pressure difference on either side. When a bowler releases the ball, a thin layer of air—called the boundary layer—forms along its surface. The point where this boundary layer separates from the ball determines the pressure distribution on either side.
5. In conventional swing, bowlers tilt the seam in one direction. The raised seam disrupts airflow on that side, creating turbulence. This turbulent airflow sticks to the ball’s surface for longer and moves faster than the smoother, laminar airflow on the other side.
6. According to Bernoulli’s principle, the faster-moving air on the seam side leads to lower pressure, causing the ball to swing in that direction. If the seam is perfectly aligned with the ball’s motion, the airflow remains symmetrical, and no swing occurs.
7. As the ball gets older, one side becomes rougher while players maintain the shine on the other. This alters airflow behavior. Bowlers further enhance reverse swing by ensuring the shiny side is slightly heavier, which naturally pulls the ball in that direction. Cricketers traditionally used saliva to polish the ball, enhancing the contrast between the two sides to aid reverse swing.
1. Statistician Frank Duckworth, who co-created the Duckworth-Lewis method with Tony Lewis, passed away on June 21, 2024. This method was first used in international cricket in 1997 and was fully adopted by the ICC in 1999.
2. In 2014, it was updated by Australian statistician Steven Stern and renamed the DLS (Duckworth-Lewis-Stern) method.
3. The DLS (Duckworth-Lewis-Stern) method is used to fairly determine results and set revised targets in rain-truncated matches. When rain interrupts a cricket match, leading to a reduction in overs, or if rain disrupts the second innings, this method calculates the chasing team’s revised target.
4. The method converts all possible combinations of balls and wickets in hand to a combined “resources remaining” figure, which is expressed in percentage — full 50 overs, and 10 wickets in hand means 100% resources available.
(1) Consider the following statements in respect of the ICC World Test Championship: (UPSC CSE 2021)
1. The finalists were decided by the number of matches they won.
2. New Zealand was ranked ahead of England because it won more matches than England.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
| Answer Key |
| 1. (d) |
Read More:
India win Champions Trophy 2025
ICC Champions Trophy ultimate guide: Everything you need to know about mega event
Frank Duckworth dies: How his DLS method works
Shami asks for lifting ban on saliva for shining cricket balls: Mechanics of swing, explained
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