Dashers may excite, but logical ones claim glory

What has the Champions Trophy revealed to us so far... well, one thing hasn't changed; when it's a one-sided game, it's like watching paint dry for hours.

- Sanjay Manjrekar

What has the Champions Trophy revealed to us so far... well, one thing hasn't changed; when it's a one-sided game, it's like watching paint dry for hours. This is when you miss T20 cricket. But matches like Afghanistan versus England and England versus Australia also give us a lot to take home.

After having seen all three formats now for a length of time, I believe if you're looking for batting excellence, 50-overs cricket is not the place to look for it unless in some exceptional cases.

Like Josh Inglis versus England, a truly great CT innings, and a partnership with Alex Carey the kind we used to enjoy in the past. Where runs are being scored in third gear but it's still walking on a tight rope. A wicket falls and the match is over and there's so much to lose considering the short sharp nature of the tournament, one of its highlights, actually.

In run chases of such kinds, you see batting excellence not when you are batting first and reaching scores of 250-300; that's when a batter is not pushed to dig deep or the bowler to get wickets. That's when excellence takes a back seat.