ICC Champions Trophy 2002
2002 · 8 teams · ODI cricket
Tournament Overview
Series Overview
The 2002 ICC Champions Trophy, hosted in Sri Lanka, produced the most unusual conclusion in Champions Trophy history — a final that was never played. India and Sri Lanka had navigated the competition to reach the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on 29 September 2002 for what promised to be a compelling all-Asian final. But the weather would not cooperate. The final was abandoned on 29 September without a ball bowled. The ICC scheduled a reserve day — 30 September — but rain returned and the second attempt was also abandoned without play. Under the regulations in place, with no result possible, both teams were declared joint champions and shared the trophy and the prize money: $300,000 each. No Player of the Tournament was awarded — the only Champions Trophy to have this omission. Virender Sehwag had been the tournament's leading run-scorer, with Muttiah Muralitharan the leading wicket-taker, but the anti-climactic final denied both players the recognition of a decisive match. The 2002 Champions Trophy remains a footnote in ICC history: the only multi-team ICC event to produce joint winners, and a cautionary tale about the unpredictability of tropical weather in September. Both nations consoled themselves with the trophy and the prize money — India's half-title their first ICC silverware since the 1983 ODI World Cup.
Key Highlights
- 1The most unusual Champions Trophy conclusion — the final was abandoned on two consecutive days (29-30 September) due to rain at Colombo
- 2India and Sri Lanka were declared joint champions with no ball bowled in the final — each received $300,000 prize money
- 3Virender Sehwag was the tournament's leading run-scorer; Muttiah Muralitharan was the leading wicket-taker
- 4No Player of the Tournament was officially awarded — the only Champions Trophy without this recognition
- 5The shared title remains the only joint-winner outcome in Champions Trophy history — a unique footnote in ICC tournament records