ICC Chief Referee Ranjan Madugalle will lead a strong team of experienced match officials for the Australia v South Africa Test series beginning in Adelaide on Friday of this week.

Madugalle is a former Sri Lankan Test captain, recently appointed by the ICC to the new position of Chief Referee. This will be his twelfth series as a referee since joining the international panel in 1994.

Umpires

Srinivas Venkataraghavan (Venkat) from India will stand as the ICC umpire in the first Test in Adelaide with Eddie Nicholls of the West Indies taking over for the second Test in Melbourne. England's David Shepherd, another vastly experienced international umpire, will take the final Test in Sydney.

Between them the three officials have a combined total of 121 Test appearances as umpires (Venkat was also a prominent test player and captain of India).

ICC Test Championship Table, December 2001

Team	      Played   Won     Lost   Drawn   Points   Average
Australia	13	9	2	2	20	1.54	
South Africa	16     11	3	2	24	1.50	
England	        14	7	5	2	16	1.14	
Sri Lanka	14	7	5	2	16	1.14	
New Zealand	15	6	6	3	15	1.00	
West Indies	14	6	7	1	13	0.93	
Pakistan	15	3	7	5	11	0.73	
India	        13	3	7	3	 9	0.69	
Zimbabwe	16	3      11	2	 8	0.50	
Bangladesh	 2	0	2	0	 0	  -	

Outright leadership of the ICC Test Championship will be at stake in the forthcoming series between the two top placed sides. Australia's recent drawn series with New Zealand stripped the champion team of a point, reducing its series points average from an unassailable 1.62 to 1.54, fractionally ahead of South Africa's 1.50. This means Australia has to win the three match series to maintain its table-topping position. Any other result would see Shaun Pollock's team claim top spot for the first time since the Championship was officially launched in May this year.

Australia won both corresponding home and away series with South Africa four years ago, which is why anything less than a repeat of those performances will see it lose the official position as the best Test side in world cricket.

A drawn series would take South Africa to the top of the table with a 1.56 series points average over Australia's 1.46.

A win for Pollock's team would open up a significant gap of 1.62 against Australia's 1.38 points.

ICC BIOGRAPHIES

Ranjan Madugalle (22/04/59)
Appointed to ICC Match Referees Panel: 1994
Test Match Series as ICC Referee: 12
1st Test: New Zealand v Pakistan 2001

Venkat (21/04/45)
Appointed to ICC Umpires Panel: 1994
Test Matches as ICC Panel Umpire: 32
1st Test: West Indies v England 1994

Eddie Nicholls (10/12/47)
Appointed to ICC Umpires Panel: 1998
Test Matches as ICC Panel Umpire: 7
1st Test: England v Sri Lanka 1998

David Shepherd (27/12/40)
Appointed to ICC Umpires Panel: 1994
Test Matches as ICC Panel Umpire: 23
1st Test: South Africa v Australia 1994

Media contact:

Mark Harrison
ICC Communications Manager
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Mobile: 0787 944 1891
Email: mark.harrison@icc-cricket.com

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