India’s 20-month reign as world number one Test side will formally end when England captain Andrew Strauss is handed the ICC Mace after the final Test. Strauss will receive the ICC Mace in recognition of England’s new status as the world’s leading Test team. The mace will not be presented at The Oval, the venue of the fourth match beginning on April 18, to avoid a clash between Reliance and nPower, who are sponsoring the Test series, according to ‘The Guardian’. The mace is plated in silver and gold and is valued at around 30,000 pound sterling. An ICC spokesman said, according to the newspaper, that a ceremony is likely to be arranged for the day after the end of the series.
