ICC Test Championship opens with England v Pakistan at Lord's
After more than 120 years and 1,500 matches, Test cricket enters a new era with the official launch of the ICC Test Championship (ICCTC)
Team Played Won Lost Drawn Points Average Australia 13 10 2 1 21 1.62 South Africa 15 9 4 2 20 1.33 England 14 7 6 1 15 1.07 Sri Lanka 13 5 5 3 13 1.00 New Zealand 15 6 7 2 14 0.93 West Indies 12 5 6 1 11 0.92 India 12 4 5 3 11 0.92 Pakistan 15 4 7 4 12 0.80 Zimbabwe 12 2 9 1 5 0.42 Bangladesh 1 0 1 0 0 -
- Starts with the npower England - Pakistan series and will include all future Test series. ICC will be responsible for administering and updating the Championship table at the conclusion of each Test series
- All Test series now follow the ICC 10 year tours programme, introduced in February 2001
- A Test series is defined as a minimum of two matches. No maximum number has been stipulated
- The leading side will hold the ICC Test Championship trophy, produced in silver and gold by Asprey & Garrard and valued at more than £30,000. The trophy will automatically pass from leader to leader
- If two teams are tied at the top of the table the holder will retain the ICC TC trophy
- If, for any reason, a scheduled series is not played or completed, no points will be awarded. This decision has been taken to act as an incentive for members to fulfil all fixtures.
- Bangladesh, Test cricket's newest member, will be allocated points but no average score until it has completed nine Test series (half of the full schedule of 18). This position is due to be reached in April 2003 when Bangladesh hosts South Africa.
- If Pakistan win the series it will maintain 8th position in the Championship, with an average of 0.80, as the win will directly replace the winning series in England in 1996
- If England win the series its average will climb from 1.07 to 1.21, confirming a clear third position in the Championship
- If the series is drawn, Pakistan's average will fall from 0.80 to 0.73 maintaining 8th position
- A draw will improve England's average to 1.14, maintaining third position
- If Australia win the series its position (1st) and average (1.62) will remain the same
- A drawn series would reduce Australia's average to 1.54, but maintain leadership of the Championship
- A loss to England will not affect leadership of the Championship, but Australia's average would fall to 1.46, narrowing its lead over South Africa (1.33)
- England's precise position at the end of the Ashes will depend on the result of the series against Pakistan. At best, winning both the Pakistan and Australia series would increase its average to1.36, moving it ahead of South Africa into second place in the table,
- The worst case scenario for England, of losing both series, would however maintain its current third position and average, as these results would mirror those of 1996 and 1997