DUBAI: England have secured top spot in the ICC Test Championship table at the April 1 cut-off date after the first Test between New Zealand and South Africa ended in a draw in Dunedin on Sunday.
This is the first time, since the current rankings system was introduced in 2003, that England has topped the table at the cut-off date.
As such, England will receive the Championship mace and will also receive a cheque of $175,000 which is presented annually to the side that tops the table.
For the next three years, a total of $3.8m will be distributed in prize money with the side topping the table at the 1 April cut-off date in 2013 to receive a minimum of $450,000 rising to $500,000 in 2015.
From 2016, there will be further increases in Test prize money. Graeme Smith’s men had entered the Test series against New Zealand needing to win all the three Tests to move ahead of England at the cut-off date. (PTI)