ICC Test Championship
Encyclopedia
The ICC Test Championship is an international competition run by the International Cricket Council
in the sport
of cricket
for the 10 teams that play Test cricket
. The competition is notional in the sense that it is simply a ranking scheme overlaid on all international matches that are otherwise played as part of regular Test cricket scheduling with no consideration of home or away status.
In essence, after every Test series, the two teams involved receive points based on a mathematical formula. The total of each team's points total is divided by the total number of matches to give a 'rating', and the Test-playing teams are ranked by order of rating (this can be shown in a table).
The points for winning a Test match or series are greater than the team's rating, increasing the rating, and the points for losing the match or series are always less than the rating, reducing the rating. A drawn match between higher and lower rated teams will benefit the lower-rated team at the expense of the higher-rated team. An 'average' team that wins as often as it loses while playing a mix of stronger and weaker teams should have a rating of 100.
The International Cricket Council awards a trophy, the ICC Test Championship mace, to the team holding the highest rating. The mace is transferred whenever a new team moves to the top of the rating list.
As of 22 August 2011, England lead the ICC Test Championship with a rating of 125, while the lowest rated team, Bangladesh
, has a rating of 9.
Since the ICC officially began ranking teams in 2003, Australia has dominated as it had done so in Test cricket since around 1995. However from 2009, five teams (Australia, South Africa, India, Sri Lanka and England) have competed for the top positions.
The ICC recently applied it's current rating system to results since 1952 providing ratings for the end of each month back to 1952 further indicating Australia's historical dominance in Test Cricket with the most consecutive months ranked first (95) from September 2001 to July 2009, the highest number of months ranked first (317) and the highest rating (143). The table only begins from 1952 as prior to this date, there is not enough data available due to the infrequency of matches and the small number of competing teams in the earlier periods.
The teams that have successively held the highest rating since January 1952 till May 2003, by whole month periods, are:
The summary of teams that have held the highest rating since 1952 till present by whole month periods, are:
would introduce a Test Championship tournament, similar to that of the World Cup
, Champions Trophy
, World Twenty20
and ICC Intercontinental Cup
.
ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat
has proposed a quadrennial tournament with the four best-performing nations to meet in semi-finals and a final, in a bid to boost flagging interest in the longest form of the sport. The first tournament could replace the 2013 Champions Trophy in England. However, this now seems unlikely as the ICC has stated that it does not have the support of its broadcast partner - ESPN STAR Sports. This is mainly because the broadcast of the Champions Trophy would generate much more revenue than a Test Championship. The ICC has said the inaugural ICC Test Championship tournament is likely to be delayed to 2017.
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
in the sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
of cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
for the 10 teams that play Test cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
. The competition is notional in the sense that it is simply a ranking scheme overlaid on all international matches that are otherwise played as part of regular Test cricket scheduling with no consideration of home or away status.
In essence, after every Test series, the two teams involved receive points based on a mathematical formula. The total of each team's points total is divided by the total number of matches to give a 'rating', and the Test-playing teams are ranked by order of rating (this can be shown in a table).
The points for winning a Test match or series are greater than the team's rating, increasing the rating, and the points for losing the match or series are always less than the rating, reducing the rating. A drawn match between higher and lower rated teams will benefit the lower-rated team at the expense of the higher-rated team. An 'average' team that wins as often as it loses while playing a mix of stronger and weaker teams should have a rating of 100.
The International Cricket Council awards a trophy, the ICC Test Championship mace, to the team holding the highest rating. The mace is transferred whenever a new team moves to the top of the rating list.
As of 22 August 2011, England lead the ICC Test Championship with a rating of 125, while the lowest rated team, Bangladesh
Bangladeshi cricket team
The Bangladesh national cricket team is a national cricket team representing Bangladesh. The team is administered by the Bangladesh Cricket Board . Bangladesh is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status...
, has a rating of 9.
Test championship calculations
The calculations for the table are performed as follows:- Each team scores points based on the results of their matches.
- Each team's rating is equal to its total points scored divided by the total matches and series played. (A series must include at least two Tests).
- A series only counts if played in the last three years.
- Series played in the first two years of the three-year limit count half; essentially, recent matches are given more weight.
- To determine a team's rating after a particular series:
- Find the series result
- Award 1 point to a team for each win
- Award 1/2 point to a team for each draw
- Award 1 bonus point to the team winning the series
- Award 1/2 bonus point to each team if the series is drawn
- Convert the series result to actual ratings points
- If the gap between the ratings of the two teams at the commencement of the series is less than 40 points, then the ratings points for each team equals:
- (The team's own series result) multiplied by (50 points MORE than the opponent's rating) PLUS
- (The opponent's series result) multiplied by (50 points LESS than the opponent's rating)
- If the gap between the ratings of the two teams at the commencement of the series is more than or equal to 40 points, then the ratings points for the stronger team equals:
- (The team's own series result) multiplied by (10 points MORE than the team's own rating) PLUS
- (The opponent's series result) multiplied by (90 points LESS than the team's own rating)
- If the gap between the ratings of the two teams at the commencement of the series is more than or equal to 40 points, then the ratings points for the weaker team equals:
- (The team's own series result) multiplied by (90 points MORE than the team's own rating) PLUS
- (The opponent's series result) multiplied by (10 points LESS than the team's own rating)
- If the gap between the ratings of the two teams at the commencement of the series is less than 40 points, then the ratings points for each team equals:
- Add the ratings points scored by the team to the total ratings points already scored (in previous matches, as reflected by the Table)
- Update the number of matches played by the team through adding one more than the number of games in the series (a two Test match series will result in the match count getting incremented by three)
- Divide the new rating points with the updated number of matches to get the final rating.
- Find the series result
Main Test table
- Note: Zimbabwe is currently unranked, since it has played insufficient matches. It has 134 points and a rating of 45.
Historical rankings
The ICC provides ratings for the end of each month back to June 2003. The teams that have successively held the highest rating since that date, by whole month periods, are:| Team | Start | End | Total Months | Highest Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2003 | July 2009 | 74 | 143 | |
| August 2009 | November 2009 | 4 | 122 | |
| December 2009 | July 2011 | 20 | 130 | |
| August 2011 | present | 4 | 125 | |
| Reference: ICC Rankings | ||||
Since the ICC officially began ranking teams in 2003, Australia has dominated as it had done so in Test cricket since around 1995. However from 2009, five teams (Australia, South Africa, India, Sri Lanka and England) have competed for the top positions.
The ICC recently applied it's current rating system to results since 1952 providing ratings for the end of each month back to 1952 further indicating Australia's historical dominance in Test Cricket with the most consecutive months ranked first (95) from September 2001 to July 2009, the highest number of months ranked first (317) and the highest rating (143). The table only begins from 1952 as prior to this date, there is not enough data available due to the infrequency of matches and the small number of competing teams in the earlier periods.
The teams that have successively held the highest rating since January 1952 till May 2003, by whole month periods, are:
| Team | Start | End | Total Months | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1952 | May 1955 | 41 | ||
| June 1955 | February 1958 | 33 | ||
| March 1958 | July 1958 | 5 | ||
| August 1958 | December 1958 | 5 | ||
| January 1959 | December 1963 | 60 | ||
| January 1964 | December 1968 | 60 | ||
| January 1969 | December 1969 | 12 | ||
| January 1970 | January 1973 | 37 | ||
| February 1973 | March 1973 | 2 | ||
| April 1973 | June 1974 | 15 | ||
| July 1974 | January 1978 | 43 | ||
| February 1978 | January 1979 | 12 | ||
| February 1979 | August 1980 | 19 | ||
| September 1980 | February 1981 | 6 | ||
| March 1981 | July 1988 | 89 | ||
| August 1988 | September 1988 | 2 | ||
| October 1988 | January 1991 | 28 | ||
| February 1991 | April 1991 | 3 | ||
| May 1991 | July 1992 | 15 | ||
| August 1992 | January 1993 | 6 | ||
| February 1993 | August 1995 | 31 | ||
| September 1995 | November 1995 | 3 | ||
| December 1995 | July 1999 | 44 | ||
| August 1999 | December 1999 | 5 | ||
| January 2000 | February 2000 | 2 | ||
| March 2000 | March 2000 | 1 | ||
| April 2000 | July 2001 | 16 | ||
| August 2001 | August 2001 | 1 | ||
| September 2001 | May 2003 | 21 | ||
| Reference: ICC Historical Rankings | ||||
The summary of teams that have held the highest rating since 1952 till present by whole month periods, are:
| Team | Total Months | Highest Rating | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 317 | 143 | |||
| 235 | 135 | |||
| 98 | 125 | |||
| 44 | 130 | |||
| 23 | 122 | |||
| 2 | 110 | |||
| Reference: ICC Historical Rankings | ||||
Tournament format
For the past few years there has been speculation that the ICCInternational Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
would introduce a Test Championship tournament, similar to that of the World Cup
Cricket World Cup
The ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years...
, Champions Trophy
ICC Champions Trophy
The ICC Champions Trophy is a One Day International cricket tournament, second in importance only to the Cricket World Cup. It was inaugurated as the ICC Knock Out tournament in 1998 and has been played every two years since, changing its name to the Champions Trophy in 2002...
, World Twenty20
ICC World Twenty20
The ICC World Twenty20 or ICC World T20 also referred to as the T20 World Cup is the international championship of Twenty20 cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council...
and ICC Intercontinental Cup
ICC Intercontinental Cup
The ICC Intercontinental Cup is a cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council as part of its cricket development programme...
.
ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat
Haroon Lorgat
Haroon Lorgat is a South African, of Indian origin, businessman and chartered accountant. He was appointed Chief Executive of the International Cricket Council in April 2008 and assumed office on 4 July 2008, succeeding Malcolm Speed, an Australian.Lorgat was an executive director of Kapela...
has proposed a quadrennial tournament with the four best-performing nations to meet in semi-finals and a final, in a bid to boost flagging interest in the longest form of the sport. The first tournament could replace the 2013 Champions Trophy in England. However, this now seems unlikely as the ICC has stated that it does not have the support of its broadcast partner - ESPN STAR Sports. This is mainly because the broadcast of the Champions Trophy would generate much more revenue than a Test Championship. The ICC has said the inaugural ICC Test Championship tournament is likely to be delayed to 2017.
See also
- ICC ODI ChampionshipICC ODI ChampionshipThe ICC ODI Championship is an international One Day International cricket competition run by the International Cricket Council. The competition is notional in that it is simply a ranking scheme overlaid on the regular ODI match schedule. After every ODI match, the two teams involved receive points...
- ICC T20 Championship
- International structure of cricketInternational structure of cricketThere was no formal structure of international cricket until the early twenty first century. It had long been traditional for countries, without any intervention from a body such as the International Cricket Council , to organize for themselves the various cricket matches...
- ICC Player Rankings