ICC Champions Trophy 2002: India and Sri Lanka Share Title — Rain Stops Final, Unique CT Result
The ICC Champions Trophy 2002 was the fifth edition, held in Sri Lanka in September 2002. The tournament produced a unique result — the final between India and Sri Lanka at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo was abandoned due to rain on two consecutive days (reserve day) with no result, so the title was shared between the two teams. This is the only occasion in ICC tournament history where a major title was shared between two finalists. Player of the Tournament was Sanath Jayasuriya. India were captained by Saurav Ganguly; Sri Lanka were captained by Sanath Jayasuriya. The tournament had been postponed from 2000 (three editions of the CT were held between 1998-2002 before the biennial format began).
The ICC Champions Trophy 2002 was the fifth edition, held in Sri Lanka in September 2002. The tournament featured eight of the major Test-playing nations. India, under Saurav Ganguly, were in a strong period under the aggressive captaincy of the era. Sri Lanka, led by Sanath Jayasuriya, were the hosts. The tournament had been originally planned as a different schedule but had to be adjusted; it also overlapped with another ICC tournament cycle.
The Rained-Off Final and Shared Title
The final at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo was scheduled and then abandoned due to rain. The reserve day was also washed out with no play possible. In the only such occurrence in ICC major tournament history, the two finalists — India and Sri Lanka — were declared joint winners and shared the Champions Trophy title. Sanath Jayasuriya was named Player of the Tournament. No Player of the Match was awarded for the final since no match was played.
Frequently asked questions
Why did India and Sri Lanka share the ICC Champions Trophy 2002 title?
The 2002 Champions Trophy final at Colombo was abandoned due to rain on the scheduled match day and also on the reserve day — no play was possible on either day. In the only such occurrence in ICC major tournament history, the tournament organisers declared both finalists — India and Sri Lanka — joint winners of the Champions Trophy. Sanath Jayasuriya was named Player of the Tournament. Saurav Ganguly captained India; Jayasuriya captained Sri Lanka. This shared result means India's 2013 Champions Trophy win is sometimes counted as their first sole CT title.