ICC Test Championship media release: Australia targets top spot in Test table
ICC Media Release - 9 April 2003
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Australia can move back to the top of the ICC Test Championship if it wins the Cable and Wireless series against West Indies which begins on Thursday 10th April.
Having asserted its dominance of the One-Day International game last month by retaining the ICC Cricket World Cup without losing a match, Australia can now focus on overhauling South Africa at the top of the Test rankings.
A series win for Australia will boost its points tally to 21 from 13 series, taking its average up to 1.62 which is crucially 0.03 higher than South Africa's current average.
West Indies currently lies seventh in the ICC Test Championship with an average of 0.88. If Brian Lara's team can win the series it will boost this average to 0.94, taking West Indies above India to sixth place in the table.
The last time Australia toured the Caribbean in 1999 the series was drawn 2-2. A tie this time around will see both sides retain their current positions in the table.
ICC Test Championship Table, 9th April 2003
Team Played Won Lost Drawn Points Average
South Africa 17 13 3 1 27 1.59
Australia 13 9 2 2 20 1.54
New Zealand 17 8 5 4 20 1.18
Sri Lanka 16 8 6 2 18 1.13
England 16 6 6 4 16 1.00
India 15 5 6 4 14 0.93
West Indies 17 7 9 1 15 0.88
Pakistan 16 4 8 4 12 0.75
Zimbabwe 16 3 11 2 8 0.50
Bangladesh 7 - 7 - 0 -
At a meeting in Johannesburg 22nd March, the ICC Board agreed a new format for the ICC Test Championship which recognises the rewards and result of each Test match played.
The new system will be introduced from the beginning of June and further details will be announced prior to this official launch date.
World Test Championship
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The Prototype
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You know, they should have a play off for the that cup, then we will know who the best Test team actually is. You know like, have a play off game. the 2 top teams play off for rights to hold the cup up at the end of the test year. Sure it may sound weird, but it would end alot of the unfairness in someways. Becuase, say South Africa's test's get cancelled becasue of some Terrorist threat and Australia walked away with the cup, it wouldn't really be a "victory" although Australia is playing great cricket and would probarly win it anyways. I just thought that the 2 best Nations should play off just like the AFL Grand Final, bring some excitement into the final test of the year. It's not like 1 more test is going to be all that bad, it could actually make the cup like the World Cup and have it so us the fans could get to see the 2 best nations play off, instead of waiting months to see it either in Australia, or in their country. See it would then eliminate the chance of the teams ending up on the same amount of points (which would probarly be highly unlikely)
That's just my personal opinion though, I would find it interesting, if not a good idea in the long run.
That's just my personal opinion though, I would find it interesting, if not a good idea in the long run.
Okay. . . . . . But it might not, right? That makes sense to me. "South Africa's test's get cancelled because of some Terrorist threat and Australia walked away with the cup it wouldn't really be a victory although Australia is playing great cricket and would probarly win it anyways"I see. Tell me more about it.
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Donny
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M8, there was a 'play-off' recently. Couldn't have been fairer. Three Tests in Oz. Three Tests in SA.
Overall, Australia won 5/1.
A 'one off' Test will not necessarily prove anything as the result can be influenced heavily by the toss and who gets first use of the wicket.
I think most cricket followers find the present system ridiculous or at least hard to understand.
Overall, Australia won 5/1.
A 'one off' Test will not necessarily prove anything as the result can be influenced heavily by the toss and who gets first use of the wicket.
I think most cricket followers find the present system ridiculous or at least hard to understand.
Donny.
It's a game. Enjoy it.
It's a game. Enjoy it.
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Donny
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ICC Test Championship Table
[ as at 7 May 2003 ]
Team Played Won Lost Drawn Points Average
1 South Africa 18 14 3 1 29 1.61
2 Australia 13 9 2 2 20 1.54
3 New Zealand 17 8 4 5 21 1.24
4 Sri Lanka 16 7 6 3 17 1.06
5 England 16 6 6 4 16 1.00
6 India 15 5 6 4 14 0.93
7 West Indies 17 7 9 1 15 0.88
8 Pakistan 16 4 8 4 12 0.75
9 Zimbabwe 16 3 11 2 8 0.50
- Bangladesh 8 - 8 - 0 -
Although Australia have won the series against the Windies, it will not register until the series is completed. At that point, Australia will go to an average of 1.62 and ahead of South Africa.
[ as at 7 May 2003 ]
Team Played Won Lost Drawn Points Average
1 South Africa 18 14 3 1 29 1.61
2 Australia 13 9 2 2 20 1.54
3 New Zealand 17 8 4 5 21 1.24
4 Sri Lanka 16 7 6 3 17 1.06
5 England 16 6 6 4 16 1.00
6 India 15 5 6 4 14 0.93
7 West Indies 17 7 9 1 15 0.88
8 Pakistan 16 4 8 4 12 0.75
9 Zimbabwe 16 3 11 2 8 0.50
- Bangladesh 8 - 8 - 0 -
Although Australia have won the series against the Windies, it will not register until the series is completed. At that point, Australia will go to an average of 1.62 and ahead of South Africa.
Donny.
It's a game. Enjoy it.
It's a game. Enjoy it.
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Donny
- Posts: 80336
- Joined: Sun Aug 04, 2002 6:01 pm
- Location: Toonumbar NSW Australia
- Has liked: 65 times
- Been liked: 28 times
Australia no.1 Test team
AAP - 6 May 2003 - 6 May 2003
Australia has regained its No.1 status in world cricket - by the thinnest margin.
Australia's series win over the West Indies in Barbados lifted it back to the top of the ICC Test championship table over South Africa.
Australia is four-thousandths of a point ahead of the Proteas on average points and is poised to go further ahead.
When it won 2-0 in Bangladesh recently, South Africa became the only side in world cricket to have completed a full quota of home and away series, 18.
South Africa has won 14, drawn one and lost three of its series, with two of three losses against Australia.
It has a total of 29 points.
Until every team completes 18 series, the ICC works out its table on average points, which leaves the Proteas with an average of 1.611.
Australia has won 10 of 13 series with one draw - against New Zealand at home in 2001-02 - for 21 points at an average of 1.615.
Australia will almost certainly pick up two points when it hosts Bangladesh later this year in Darwin and Cairns and will start to surge ahead of South Africa once it completes its 18-series program.
Australia still needs to play home and away against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe - the two worst teams in world cricket - and also has to host a series against Sri Lanka, which it last did in 1995-96, before the start date for the championship table.
Wins in all of those series would give Australia 31 points, leaving it handily clear of South Africa.
Australia's two series losses were away to Sri Lanka in 1999 and India in 2001 and it gets a chance to offset those results when it tours both sub-continental countries next year.
Only the most recent home away results between two countries count towards the standings.
AAP - 6 May 2003 - 6 May 2003
Australia has regained its No.1 status in world cricket - by the thinnest margin.
Australia's series win over the West Indies in Barbados lifted it back to the top of the ICC Test championship table over South Africa.
Australia is four-thousandths of a point ahead of the Proteas on average points and is poised to go further ahead.
When it won 2-0 in Bangladesh recently, South Africa became the only side in world cricket to have completed a full quota of home and away series, 18.
South Africa has won 14, drawn one and lost three of its series, with two of three losses against Australia.
It has a total of 29 points.
Until every team completes 18 series, the ICC works out its table on average points, which leaves the Proteas with an average of 1.611.
Australia has won 10 of 13 series with one draw - against New Zealand at home in 2001-02 - for 21 points at an average of 1.615.
Australia will almost certainly pick up two points when it hosts Bangladesh later this year in Darwin and Cairns and will start to surge ahead of South Africa once it completes its 18-series program.
Australia still needs to play home and away against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe - the two worst teams in world cricket - and also has to host a series against Sri Lanka, which it last did in 1995-96, before the start date for the championship table.
Wins in all of those series would give Australia 31 points, leaving it handily clear of South Africa.
Australia's two series losses were away to Sri Lanka in 1999 and India in 2001 and it gets a chance to offset those results when it tours both sub-continental countries next year.
Only the most recent home away results between two countries count towards the standings.
Donny.
It's a game. Enjoy it.
It's a game. Enjoy it.