MATCH REPORTS
STAT SHEET
DIARY
OTHER SPORTS
SLIDE SHOW
PEOPLE
DEAR REDIFF

Australia named team of the year

Australia, despite a disastrous outing in India at the fag end of the 1997-1998 season, has won the prestigious CEAT International Team of the Year award.

During the season, Australia accumulated 60 Test points and 34 ODI points -- a good 20 points, cumulatively, over the second placed South Africa.

RSA, for its part, had the second best ODI record, with 49 points, but its 25 points in Tests were less even than that of third-ranked Pakistan.

Sri Lanka has top slot in the ODI points table, with 50 points. India has a mere 14 in Tests, but notched up 44 in ODIs to climb to the number five slot among the 11 nations on the list (including Kenya and Bangladesh, recent entrants to the ODI full-nation status).

During the season, Australia played 15 Tests, of which it won seven, lost four and drew four. In ODIs, the Aussies figured in 28 games, winning 14 and losing the other 14 for a 50% win record.

The winning team will receive a trophy, and a cash award of Rs 1 million, to be presented in Bombay on a date not yet fixed. Incidentally, Pakistan had won the inaugural Team of the Year title, last year.

The following are the final standings (with points for Tests and ODIs in brackets): Australia 94 points (60 Test points, 34 ODI points); South Africa 74 (25, 49); Pakistan 72 (40, 32); Sri Lanka 64 (14, 50); India 58 (14, 44); New Zealand 45 (14, 30); West Indies 44 (26, 18); England 43 (21, 22); Zimbabwe 20 (0, 20); Kenya 4 (0, 4); Bangladesh 0.

UNI