Strauss receives ICC Test Championship mace

England cricket captain Andrew Strauss received the ICC Test Championship mace on Monday for leading the team, which finished atop the ICC Test Championship table on the annual cut-off date of April 1.

Clive Lloyd, chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee and former West Indies captain, presented the mace to Strauss, who also collected a cheque of US $175,000 in a ceremony that was staged at Coronation Garden at Lord's.

"We are proud to be presented with the Reliance ICC Test Championship mace again in recognition of retaining our position as the number-one ranked Test side in the world," said Strauss.

"However, everyone involved in the current England set up remains fully motivated and determined to continue working hard as there is still a great deal more we want to achieve over the coming months and years," he added.

Lloyd, who led West Indies to the ICC Cricket World Cup victories in 1975 and 1979, said the mace is a symbol of excellence and recognition of a team's outstanding achievement and England should be proud of their feat.

"The mace is a symbol of excellence and recognition of a side's outstanding achievement in the toughest and most traditional format of the game.

"England has all the reasons to be proud of its feat as it is only the third team after Australia and India to hold the mace when the annual prize money is handed out," said Lloyd.