Test Championship Trophy at stake in second leg of title showdown
ICC Media Release - 12 February 2002
The second leg of the ICC Test Championship Trophy decider gets underway in ten days time, with South Africa and Australia going head-to-head in a three match Test series.
The series is an early opportunity for South Africa to restore pride after the comprehensive mauling received at the hands of the champion side in Australia late last year. Then, a three Tests to nil whitewash exposed the fragility of the Proteas' championship title claims, although victory in the One Day VB Series provided a late confidence booster.
Stephen Waugh's side go into the series knowing that nothing less than victory will be enough to preserve its leadership of the ICC Test Championship table. Australia has to successfully defend the two points gained by winning the last series between the sides in South Africa in 1996/97, to keep its place as Test cricket's top ranked team.
Otherwise, South Africa's superior all round record - it won in India where Australia lost - would take it to the top of the table for the first time, having occupied second place since the launch of the official ICC Championship in May 2001.
ICC Test Championship Table, 12th February 2002
Team Played Won Lost Drawn Points Average
Australia 13 9 2 2 20 1.54
South Africa 16 11 3 2 24 1.50
Sri Lanka 14 7 5 2 16 1.14
England 15 7 6 2 16 1.07
New Zealand 16 7 6 3 17 1.06
West Indies 14 6 7 1 13 0.93
Pakistan 16 4 7 5 13 0.81
India 14 4 7 3 11 0.79
Zimbabwe 16 3 11 2 8 0.50
Bangladesh 4 - 4 - 0 -
Win, Lose or Draw
* If Australia wins the rubber and the two points that go with it, the
positions at the top of the table would remain exactly the same. The new series result would replace Australia's 2-1 victory margin from 1996/97
* A drawn series would see Australia lose a championship point and South Africa gain one. This would drop Australia's series points average from 1.54 to 1.46 while the Proteas' would rise from 1.50 to 1.56, taking it to the head of the table
* A South African win would secure a strong Championship lead, with two extra points boosting its average to 1.62. Two points lost by the visitors would mean a significant drop from its current 1.54 to 1.38
ICC Match Officials
Former West Indies Test player Cammie Smith is the ICC Match Referee for the series. International panel umpires will be Smith's West Indian colleague Steve Bucknor for the first and second Tests (Johannesburg, 22nd to 26th February and Cape Town, 8th to 12th March), with India's Venkat standing in the third match in Durban (15th to 19th March).
Biographies
Cammie Smith (29/07/33)
Appointed to ICC Match Referees Panel: 1994
Test Match Series as ICC Referee: 13
1st Test: Sri Lanka v Pakistan 1994
Steve Bucknor (31/05/46)
Appointed to ICC Umpires Panel: 1993
Test Matches as ICC Panel Umpire: 35
All Test Matches: 63
Venkat (21/04/45)
Appointed to ICC Umpires Panel: 1994
Test Matches as ICC Panel Umpire: 35
All Test matches: 50
Media contact:
Mark Harrison
ICC Communications Manager
Tel: + 44 20 7266 7913/1818
Email: mark.harrison@icc-cricket.com
Or
Chris Nockels
ICC Cricket Operations
Tel: + 44 207 266 7915
Email: chris.nockels@icc-cricket.com
© ICC
Teams
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Australia,
Bangladesh,
England,
India,
New Zealand,
Pakistan,
South Africa,
Sri Lanka,
West Indies,
Zimbabwe.
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Players/Umpires
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Cammie Smith,
Steve Bucknor,
Venkat.
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Tours
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Australia in South Africa
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