Sri Lanka first for England in Trophy

Kevin Pietersen will travel with his England team-mates to South Africa to take on the best in world cricket in the ICC Champions Trophy

England have been handed a tough draw for the forthcoming ICC Champions Trophy, due to be held in South Africa in September.

The restructured 50-over tournament, which has been rearranged to take place in South Africa having originally been scheduled in Pakistan, will see the world's eight leading cricket nations slug it out for part of a US$4 million prize fund.

England will kick-off their campaign with a clash against Sri Lanka on September 25 before taking on South Africa two days later, finally then meeting New Zealand on September 29.

The group's top two teams will then go into the semi-finals, where they will meet one of Australia, India, Pakistan or West Indies.

South Africa will open the tournament with a match against Sri Lanka in Centurion on September 22.

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said: “The new format means eight teams, 15 matches and one prize and as the only global multi-team 50-over event between ICC cricket World Cups it will be an invaluable barometer of form as well as a great advertisement for our great sport.”

“The significant increase in prize money is just the first of a series of innovations that we will be announcing as it draws nearer that mark out the ICC Champions Trophy as a high-value tournament for players, spectators and our members."