ICC Test Championship mace enroute South Africa
The Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship mace is presented to the team that leads the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship. After being in Australian hands since 2003, the mace will be presented to the winner of the South Africa v Australia Test series which gets underway in the city on 26 February.
In addition to taking possession of the mace, the team that is ranked number one on the table on the annual cut-off date of 1 April wins US$175,000 with the runner-up receiving US$75,000.
South Africa will top the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship table at the crucial date if it beats Australia in the three-match series. But Australia will retain possession of the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship mace if it draws or wins the series.
The mace was produced by the then British Crown Jeweller, Asprey & Garrard, in 2001, which was commissioned to make a distinctive prize designed to stand out from other cricket trophies. The designers produced a 90cm 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 all 10 ICC Members that have played Test cricket.
The stump and the orb combine to portray the mace, regarded as a symbol of authority and prestige. This is regarded as an appropriate combination given the rich history of Test cricket and its image as the most traditional and purest form of the game. The mace sits on a wooden base with a silver-plated plaque in front with room for engravings of the sides to hold it. The mace was valued at stg£30,000 in 2001 and automatically passes from one team to another as results confirm a change of leadership in the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship table.
