South Africa takes over as top team

Smith, South Africa replaced England as the top team in the Reliance ICC Test Championship

Dubai, August 20, 2012: Smith, South Africa replaced England as the top team in the Reliance ICC Test Championship table following its 2-0 victory over Andrew Strauss’s team in the three-match series which ended at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London today.

South Africa’s series victory means that it is the clear leader at the top of the table and England is now second, pushing Australia to third place.

Graeme Smith and his team received the prestigious Reliance ICC Test Championship mace from ICC Chief Executive David Richardson who was joined in the presentation party by ICC Director and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman Giles Clarke, ECB Chief Executive David Collier, Cricket South Africa (CSA) acting Chief Executive Jacques Faul and Pramod Garg – CFO, Europe Reliance Globalcom.

England had been the top team in the Reliance ICC Test Championship table since August 2011 when it dethroned India while South Africa has assumed the number one spot for the first time since November 2009.

Reliance ICC Test Championship (as of 20 August, after the England-South Africa series)

Rank Team Rating

1 South Africa 120

2 England 117

3 Australia 116

4 Pakistan 109

5 India 104

6 Sri Lanka 98

7 West Indies 90

8 New Zealand 80

9 Bangladesh 0

(Rankings table devised, developed and maintained by David Kendix, member of ICC Cricket Committee.) —- ICC/Image: cricbuzz.com