Holders Australia [Images] begin the defence of its ICC [Images] Champions Trophy [Images] crown against the West Indies [Images] in a repeat of the 2006 final.

That match will take place as a day game at The Wanderers, Johannesburg, on Saturday, September 26, and is part of a blockbuster day of action as, later on, India and Pakistan will go head-to-head in a day-night encounter at Centurion Park.

The teams in this year's Champions Trophy will be battling it out for a record prize pool of US $4 million.

The figure is an-almost four-fold increase in the prize-money on the 2004 and 2006 editions of the tournament, which saw a total of US $1.15 million on offer on each of those occasions.

The funds are at stake during a re-modelled short, sharp event of 15 matches in only 14 days in September and October, taking place at two venues -- Centurion Park and The Wanderers.