Dubai, Sept 9, 2016: The International Cricket Council (ICC) will present the ICC Test Championship mace to Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Wednesday, 21 September, it was announced today.
ICC Chief Executive David Richardson will make the presentation at 10h30 (PST), which will be followed by a media conference at 11h00 (PST).
Pakistan achieved number-one Test ranking for the first time since the current rankings system was introduced in 2003 after it played a two-all draw against England. Pakistan’s cause was also helped by Sri Lanka, which defeated Australia by 3-0, while a wet ground in Port of Spain denied India the opportunity to defend the top spot as it won its four-Test series against the West Indies by 2-0.
Pakistan is currently sitting on 111 points, one ahead of India, while Australia and England are on 108 points each.
The top seven Test sides are separated by just 16 points.
MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings (as of 9 September 2016)
Rank Team Points
1. Pakistan 111
2. India 110
3. Australia 108
4. England 108
5. South Africa 96
6. Sri Lanka 95
7. New Zealand 95
8. West Indies 67
9. Bangladesh 57
10. Zimbabwe 8
(Developed by David Kendix)
About the mace
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 MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings table. —- ICC
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