ICC Test Championship handed over to Shaun Pollock

ICC President Malcolm Gray presented South African cricket captain Shaun Pollock with the ICC Test Championship Mace today to mark South Africa's rise to the top of the ICC Test Championship table.

"On behalf of the ICC I would like to congratulate Shaun and his team for the excellent standard of Test match cricket they have played over recent years, which has now earned them top position on the ICC Test Championship table," said Gray. "Test cricket is hard work, and no side has worked harder than South Africa in terms of the series it has played against all other countries. One of the main aims of the ICC's 10 year Test calendar is to encourage teams to play each other home and away on a regular basis, and South Africa has been prominent in achieving that. Their record proves that they are an extremely good side, consistently winning series in the toughest of conditions. For example, they are one of the very few teams to have won a series in India, and have also done well in other countries where Test match wins are never easy to come by, such as Sri Lanka and the Caribbean," Gray added.

On receiving the trophy, Pollock said he was proud to have been part of a squad which had deservedly taken its place at the top of Test cricket. "We have had a really good record away from home, which shows our cohesion as a unit," Pollock said. "I would like to thank the players, team management and sponsors who have played such a vital role in getting us into this position over the years. It has been hard work, but I am sure I speak for all the guys when I say it has been worth it."

UCB President Percy Sonn and CEO Gerald Majola warmly congratulated the team on their effort and on the high standard of cricket they had maintained. "This Championship is about performing consistently well against all the Test-playing nations in all conditions. Shaun and the boys have done that," said Sonn. Majola added: "This is the realization of all the effort and planning that has gone into South African cricket. It is part of our Strategic Plan to develop winners and to be the top nation in the world. By performing so well, Shaun and his team have laid a platform for our other strategic intention of making cricket a sport for all South Africans."

Castle Lager sponsorship manager Rob Fleming said: "Castle Lager congratulates the SA Test team on being top of the ICC Test log and bringing the prestigious trophy to our shores for the first time. We would like to take this opportunity to wish the Test champions the best of luck on the eve of the World Cup."

"We are extremely proud of the Castle Lager/MTN Test cricket team and their recent series win over Pakistan which took them to the top of the ICC Test Championship table. The trophy hand-over must be a great confidence booster for the team with two days to go until the start of the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup," said MTN sponsorship manager Andrew Sherwood.

The ICC Mace is awarded to the country at the head of the ICC Test Championship table, which was introduced at the start of the England v Pakistan series in May 2001.The Crown Jeweller Asprey & Garrard was commissioned to produce a distinctive trophy designed to stand out from other cricket trophies. They produced a 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 the 10 Test-playing nations. The stump and the orb combine to portray a mace, regarded as a symbol of authority and prestige. This is an appropriate combination given the rich history of Test Match cricket and its image as the most traditional and purest form of the game. The Mace is valued at $US 45 000 and automatically passes from one country to another as results confirm a change of Championship leader. Apart from South Africa, Australia is the only other side to have held the Mace.