Australia becomes the number one test side in the world
Dubai: Australia captain Michael Clarke on Wednesday got his hands on the Reliance ICC Test mace, a symbol of his side’s status as the number-one ranked Test side in the world. Clarke, who inspired his side to victories over England and South Africa in the past season, received the mace in Brisbane on Wednesday at a training camp for the upcoming season.
Clarke believed Test cricket remained the ultimate challenge for any cricketer.
“Test cricket truly is a ‘test’. It requires stamina, skill, patience, fitness and the ability to adapt to different conditions and opponents. It is still the purest form of cricket and I don’t think there would be a young cricketer in this country that wouldn’t want to represent Australia and wear the Baggy Green in a Test match,” said Clarke.
Australia achieved the number-one position after the annual update of the Reliance Test Team Rankings Table on May 1st. Australia is now on 123 ratings points, level with South Africa, however, when ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point, Michael Clarke’s side is ranked ahead of South Africa by a fraction of a point.
South Africa is scheduled to play two Test matches against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka in July. Should it win both Tests, then it will reclaim the top spot.
