CAPE TOWN, Feb 7: South Africa were presented with the World Test Championship mace on Friday, having become the first side to displace Australia at the top of the standings with their 2-0 series triumph over Pakistan last month.

ICC president Malcolm Gray gave the award to South Africa captain Shaun Pollock, who said the honour recognised the hard work put in by his side over the last four years.

“Australia are a very good Test unit and I’m sure they won’t be happy about the fact that they are not rated number one any more,” Pollock said.

“Over the last four years, we have played very well and beaten Pakistan away, India away, West Indies away and drawn in Sri Lanka. Those are all things that have contributed to this Test championship (trophy).”

Meanwhile, South African Sports Minister Ngconde Balfour has said black South Africans will rally behind Shaun Pollock’s mainly white side at the World Cup.

The hosts’ 15-man squad, which includes five non-white players, is one of the most racially diverse in the history of South African cricket.

Most of the tickets for the 46 matches in South Africa have been sold and it is expected that the majority of supporters at the grounds will be white.

“You cannot gauge the support only by the people in the stadiums,” Balfour told a news conference on Friday.

“Gauge it in the taverns, the streets and the townships. Do not look at the grass verges and seats because you will not see a true reflection of the support.

“There is huge support for this team among the black community, just as millions of supporters followed the 1995 rugby World Cup. This is even bigger.”—Reuters