I have only respect for copy editors, who have to summarize long, complex articles, but what exactly does “Nearly men kick off nearly event” mean? Headlines should encapsulate, not befuddle. Change it.
Ducking Beamers: A Cricket Blog
Examining the Cricket World — With Adequate Protection, Of Course
Ducking Beamers: A Cricket Blog 
hehee…does sound quite stupid…
remember the main headline one day…’HUGHES GETS ADVICE FROM WAUGH’! wtf?
It is a good title for the preview and makes credible sense. SA, and Sri Lanka (to some degree) have long been the nearly men of cricket, that is, they have had the potentional to be on top of the world but have ‘choked’ when it mattered most.
The ‘nearly man’ is actually an expression for someone who often comes close to supplanting themselves atop the rankings/dais/event but falters before doing so – ‘nearly’ won but finished second/third etc
The Champions trophy is much the same. It doesn’t have the stature or is not the same calibre of event as say, the World Cup or World T20. Its ‘nearly’ there but not quite.