England presented with Test mace after series victory over India
England captain Andrew Strauss and his team were presented with the ICC Test Mace by Haroon Lorgat, the ICC Chief Executive and Rod Riley, Executive Senior Vice President - Reliance Communications, after England completed their 4-0 series victory over India and in doing so confirmed their position as the number-one team in the Reliance ICC Test Rankings.
After England completed their victory by an innings and eight runs infront of a capacity crowd at The Oval in London, Haroon Lorgat congratulated the England and Wales Cricket Board and the England side. He said: "I know England were determined to be number-one and through careful planning and a series of clinical performances, they have deservedly achieved their goal. They were clearly the most consistent side in the world over the past few years as evidenced by their determination to complete their series victory here at The Oval.
"This achievement is just reward for the hard work from all the players and team management and the England and Wales Cricket Board and they no doubt will celebrate being on top of the world. It was a privilege to be here at The Oval to join a full house to watch another riveting day of Test match cricket."
Andrew Strauss, the England captain, said: "We are delighted to be number one in the Reliance ICC Test Rankings and to have achieved that position with such a comprehensive series success. This has been a real team effort and everyone of the players, management and back up staff deserve great credit. Becoming number one in the world was our stated ambition two and a half years ago and even though we have achieved that objective we will continue to look to build on this success.'
Sanjay Behl, Group Head ? Brand & Marketing, Reliance Communications said: "Reliance congratulates the England cricket team on achieving the number-one ranking in the Reliance ICC Test Championship table.
"Skipper Andrew Strauss and his boys have demonstrated a hunger to succeed and tremendous consistency over the past two years in the toughest format of the game and have deservedly emerged as the best Test-playing team in the world.
"The England cricket team's coronation as the world's best Test team earns them the Reliance ICC Test mace. The Test mace is the symbol of their supremacy in the Test match arena.
"We at Reliance wish the England team the very best for the games ahead. We also look forward to the next few months where the fight to be the number-one Test team intensifies with India, Sri Lanka and South Africa all playing series and looking to close the gap on England."
England is only the fourth team after Australia, South Africa and India to achieve the number-one position on the Reliance ICC Test rankings table.
England had already sealed the number-one position after taking an unbeatable 3-0 at Edgbaston but victory in the fourth and final Test at The Oval not only strengthened its position at the top of the tree but also dropped India into third position on 117 ratings points, one behind second-placed South Africa.
The Championship table will now be updated at the end of Sri Lanka and Australia series which starts on Wednesday 31 August in Galle.
Reliance ICC Test Championship table (as of 22 August, after the conclusion of England and India four-Test series)
1 - England 125
2 - South Africa 118
3 - India 117
4 - Sri Lanka 108
5 - Australia 100
6 - Pakistan 93
7 - West Indies 89
8 - New Zealand 78
9 - Bangladesh 8
(Zimbabwe will have to play eight Tests before it will have a ranking)
(Developed by David Kendix)
To check the ICC Test Championship predictor function, please click here.
Background on the Reliance ICC Test Championship mace:
The Reliance ICC Test Championship mace is presented to the team that leads the Reliance ICC Test Championship.
It has been in Australia's hands for all but 10 months (January ? May 2003 and August-December 2009) since it was inaugurated in May 2001.
The mace was produced by the then British Crown Jeweller, Asprey & Garrard, in 2001, which was commissioned to make a distinctive prize designed to stand out from other cricket trophies.
The designers produced a 90cm silver and gold-plated trophy based on a cricket stump as its shank, topped by an orb that represents the cricket world ? both geographically and through the inclusion of the emblems of all 10 ICC Members that have played Test cricket.
The stump and the orb combine to portray the mace, regarded as a symbol of authority and prestige. This is regarded as an appropriate combination given the rich history of Test cricket and its image as the most traditional and purest form of the game.
The mace sits on a wooden base with a silver-plated plaque in front with room for engravings of the sides to hold it. The mace was valued at stg£30,000 in 2001 and automatically passes from one team to another as results confirm a change of leadership in the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship table.
The side that tops the Reliance ICC Test Championship table on 1 April each year collects US$175,000 for doing so while the second-placed side receives US$75,000.
For more information, please click here.
