Cricket Australia on Monday received a cheque for $US 500,000 for being this year's top side in the LG ICC Test Championship and LG ICC ODI Championship.
Australia collected the reward ahead of the first day's play in Dhaka after retaining a comfortable advantage in both official tables over the course of the 12-month period. This is the second consecutive year in which Australia have benefited from their dominance of both the Test and ODI tables on the April cut-off date, April 1, 2006.
ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed congratulated Cricket Australia on this achievement.
"The LG ICC Rankings have proved to be an excellent way of measuring the relative achievements of teams in both Test and ODI cricket and for the second year in a row Australia has come out on top," said Speed.
"There was a lot of focus on their Ashes defeat earlier in the year but it is interesting to note that the only two Test matches they lost in 12 months of cricket were by two runs and three wickets. They should be congratulated for once again proving to be the most consistent team in both forms of the game."
Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland paid tribute to the performance of the Australian team and the administrative bodies that support the players off the field.
"Finishing on top of the LG ICC Test Championship and LG ICC ODI Championship tables in successive years is testament to the fantastic achievements of many people in Australian cricket over the past 24 months. We are extremely proud of the players and support staff who have helped Australia to this position and look forward to the challenge of trying to make it three in a row in 2007," said Sutherland
The cheque was presented to Australia captain Ricky Ponting by ICC director Mohammad Ali Asghar.
Australia's dominance of both Test and ODI cricket is marginally less convincing that it was 12 months ago -- their Test ranking is one point lower than in 2005 and their ODI ranking has dropped eight points over the year -- but they still retain a comfortable cushion in both the tables.
A record of nine wins, three draws and two defeats in Test cricket leaves Australia 18 points clear of its nearest rival England in the Test table. In one-dayers the gap to second-placed South Africa is 13 points after Australia's record of 20 wins, one tie and 10 defeats.
Cricket Australia received $US 250,000 for topping the LG ICC Test Championship and $US 250,000 for topping the LG ICC ODI Championship on April 1, 2006.
