Asian Test Championship
Logo ACC Asian Test Championship
|
|
| Administrator | Asian Cricket Council |
|---|---|
| Format | Test cricket |
| First tournament | 1998 |
| Last tournament | 2002 |
| Tournament format | Round-robin tournament |
| Number of teams |
 Bangladesh India Pakistan Sri Lanka
|
| Current champion |
Sri Lanka (1st title) |
| Most successful |
Pakistan Sri Lanka (1 title each) |
| Most runs | Sanath Jayasuriya (1000) |
| Most wickets | Muttiah Muralitharan (18) |
The ACC Asian Test Championship is a professional Test cricket tournament contested between the Test playing nations of Asia: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It is not a regular event in the cricketing calendar and has so far been held only twice; in 1998-99 when Pakistan won and in 2001-02 with Sri Lanka as champions. It was originally planned that the tournament would be held every two years, alternatively with the Asia Cup.
The Asian Test Championship is only the second example of a Test cricket tournament involving more than two teams, the first being the 1912 Triangular Tournament, which was held between Australia, England and South Africa. This tournament was considered to be the predecessor to the Test Cricket World Cup that the International Cricket Council was planning for the 9 member nations.
In 2006, the Asian Cricket Council canceled Asian Test Championship as well as the Asian and African Cup due to the tightly packed international cricket tour schedule. The third installment of the Championship had been delayed by four years due to conflicting tours of the participating members. Moreover, with the arrival of the official ICC Test Championship which has largely served to show a more balanced approach to test ratings, interest in the Asian Test Championship has waned.
India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka competed in the inaugural Asian Test Championship between February and March 1999. Bangladesh could not compete because the ICC had not granted them Test status.
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