1998–99 Asian Test Championship
The first Asian Test Championship, organized by the Asian Cricket Council was held between 16 February and 16 March 1999.[1] India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka competed in the tournament; Bangladesh could not compete because the ICC had not granted them Test status. This tournament was considered to be the predecessor to the Test Cricket World Cup that the ICC was planning for the nine member nations.[1] The tournament was almost canceled in January 1999 due to tour conflicts, television rights and security concerns.[2][3][4]
| Administrator(s) | Asian Cricket Council |
|---|---|
| Cricket format | Test |
| Tournament format(s) | Round-robin and final |
| Host(s) |    |
| Champions | |
| Participants | 3 |
| Matches played | 4 |
| Player of the series | |
| Most runs | |
| Most wickets | |
Three round-robin tournament matches were played with each team meeting each other once and the top two sides playing a final. A win was worth 12 points, a tie 6 points and no points were awarded for a draw or loss. In addition to this, bonus points were awarded to teams for bowling and batting performances (see Scoring system). The venues of the round robin matches were rotated between the three countries: India (Calcutta), Sri Lanka (Colombo) and Pakistan (Lahore), while the final was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh as a neutral venue.
Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by an innings and 175 in the final to become the first Asian Test Champions and received US$250,000 in prize money. Sri Lanka, the losing finalists, were awarded US$145,000, and India, the losers of the first round, US$100,000.[5] 'Man of the Series', Wasim Akram, won US$20,000, while 'Man of the Match' winners received US$5,000 in prize money.
Squads
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| 1st & 2nd Test | 1st Test | 2nd Test | Final | 1st Test | 2nd Test | Final |
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Umpires
The matches were officiated by two independent umpires of the ICC panel. This was the first time that this had occurred, traditionally one ICC umpire and one home umpire stand in Test matches. However, one home umpire was selected as the Third Umpire in each Test match. The ICC Match referee for the entire Championship was Cammie Smith of the West Indies.[5]
Neutral Umpires:
- David Shepherd (England)
- Russell Tiffin (Zimbabwe)
- Doug Cowie (New Zealand)
- Rudi Koertzen (South Africa)
- David Orchard (South Africa)
- Steve Bucknor (West Indies)
- K. T. Francis (Sri Lanka)
- Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan (India)
- Saleem Badar (Pakistan)
Scoring system
A scoring system was devised by the Asian Test Championship Technical Committee consisting of Duleep Mendis (tournament director), Ashantha De Mel, Sunil Gavaskar and Majid Khan.[5] It was based on the systems used in the Asian countries' domestic leagues.[9]
| Result | Points[10] |
|---|---|
| Win | 12 |
| Tie | 6 |
| Draw/Loss | 0 |
Bonus points were awarded to teams for good bowling and batting performances (see table below). A maximum of 20 points could be gained in one match (including the 12 match winning points). The bonus bowling and batting points were confined to the first 100 overs of the first innings. The two teams with the highest number of points qualify for the final. If two teams are tied on points, the team with a better run rate in the first 100 overs will go through. If the final ends in a draw, the side with the higher bonus points will win.[11]
| Runs Scored | Bonus Points[10] | Wickets Taken | Bonus Points[10] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 350+ | 4 | 9-10 | 4 |
| 300-349 | 3 | 7-8 | 3 |
| 225-299 | 2 | 5-6 | 2 |
| 150-224 | 1 | 3-4 | 1 |
| 1Assessed on the first 100 overs of the 1st innings | |||
Asian Test Championship
1st Test: India v Pakistan
16–20 February 1999 Scorecard |
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| Team | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | Bonus Batting |
Bonus Bowling |
Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pakistan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 17 |
| India | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Sri Lanka | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2nd Test: Sri Lanka v India
| Team | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | Bonus Batting |
Bonus Bowling |
Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pakistan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 17 |
| India | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| Sri Lanka | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
3rd Test: Pakistan v Sri Lanka
4–8 March 1999 |
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| Team | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | Bonus Batting |
Bonus Bowling |
Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pakistan | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 25 |
| Sri Lanka | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| India | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
Final: Pakistan v Sri Lanka
12–16 March 1999 Scorecard |
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References
- Christie, Peter (24 December 1998). "Asian Test Championship from Feb 14 to March 17". ESPN Cricinfo.
- "Asian Test Championship: Pakistan to opt out if tour is cancelled". ESPN Cricinfo. 13 January 1999.
- "Asian Test championships may be called off". Agence France-Presse. ESPN Cricinfo. 27 January 1999.
- "Fate of Asian Test event still hangs in balance". ESPN Cricinfo. 29 January 1999.
- Thawfeeq, Sa'adi (11 February 1999). "Inaugural Asian Test championhips". ESPN Cricinfo.
- "Asian Test Cricket Championship, February - March 1999: Indian Squad". ESPN Cricinfo.
- "Asian Test Cricket Championship, February - March 1999: Pakistani Squad". ESPN Cricinfo.
- "Asian Test Cricket Championship, February - March 1999: Sri Lankan Squad". ESPN Cricinfo.
- "Asian Test Championships: Committee to suggest playing conditions". ESPN Cricinfo. 28 December 1998.
- "Asian Test Cricket Championship, February - March 1999: Points Table". ESPN Cricinfo.
- "Points at stake in the Asian Test Championship". ESPN Cricinfo. 11 February 1999.