Haroon Lorgat and David Morgan check out the mace that has lived in Melbourne for the best part of eight years © Getty Images

The Australian public is losing confidence in their Test team and it seems that the ICC doesn’t have much faith either. The president David Morgan and the chief executive Haroon Lorgat were in Melbourne on Wednesday to confiscate the Test Championship mace.

But hang on. Aren’t Australia still the No. 1 team in the world? Only a series victory to South Africa in South Africa next month would give them the top spot.

When asked if it was a little presumptuous to remove the mace so early, Morgan said it needed to be in South Africa just in case. “I think it has to be at the destination where it could possibly change hands,” Morgan said.

The silver and gold-plated mace was designed to resemble a cricket stump topped by a big orb. The stump end has potential as a poking device and the globe could be an effective clubbing weapon as well, and as the men inspected the mace, Lorgat decided maybe he could use it at the ICC’s headquarters in Dubai.

“It could be a tool to get some things done around the office,” Lorgat said. There are probably some cricket fans around the world who would be happy with that ...