If the crickets Test Championship mace is presented to the worlds No. 1 team at a private function, is there any point presenting it at all?In a stark indication of the games convoluted and context-less international schedule, Australias captain Steven Smith was handed the mace by the ICCs chief executive David Richardson in a closed event at the Earls Regency Hotel in Kandy, with no access to the public or the media. Next to the presentation of the football and rugby World Cups, or even crickets own global events in ODIs and Twenty20s, this was a ceremony that bordered on the farcical.ESPNcricinfo understands the privacy was the result of a last-minute request by Sri Lanka Cricket to keep the event low key, so as not to deflate their players before the looming Test series between the two nations, due to begin at Pallekele on Tuesday. So late was the decision reached that the ICC had already hired an MC for a public event, but he was instead left as a bystander to the hushed handover.David Richardson is in Kandy for the presentation of the mace to Australia, which finished as the No.1 ranked Test side at the 1 April cut-off date, an ICC spokesman said. As this is a sponsor-related activity and unrelated to the forthcoming series, the ICC, in conjunction with the Members/teams, decided to keep this presentation as a closed event.Australia had effectively claimed top spot as far back as February with a 2-0 series win in New Zealand, something formalised when the ICC rankings had their annual adjustment on April 1. But the mace stayed with the previous holders India throughout the year, rather than being presented at a more opportune moment in New Zealand.This is not the first time the maces presentation to Australia has not coincided with a notable victory. In 2014 it was handed over at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane in April after Michael Clarkes team had usurped South Africa as No. 1 with a dramatic final- day victory at Newlands in Cape Town. The lack of a distinct moment at which to hand over ownership of a trophy meant to be the games most sought-after prize is symbolic of the problems of context and meaning that the ICC are presently trying to solve with a new bilateral schedule.A proposal for a new two-tier structure, with seven teams in division one and five in division two, was discussed at the ICCs annual conference in Edinburgh in June. Under the plan, a Test Champion would be decided every two years, with all top division teams playing each other in a series over that time to work out the winner. Further talks to add detail to the proposal, which includes the provision for bundled television rights to provide guaranteed revenue flows for competing countries, are scheduled for September ahead of the next formal ICC meetings in October in Dubai. SLC has indicated their opposition to the proposal.Smith said he was delighted to have taken possession of the mace, and shrugged at the circumstances in which it had been delivered. It doesnt bother me too much really, I guess its just the way the rankings work, he said. They decided this was the right time to do it, and it was a great honour to accept the Test Mace as the No. 1 team in the world at this stage.A lot of hard work in front of us to make sure we stay at No. 1. We do have a couple of tough Test series coming up, so for us we know theres a lot of hard work in front of us if we want to stay at No. 1, were going to be the hunted now were at the top of the tree, so we have to work hard to make sure we stay there.In a statement, Richardson spoke of exciting times for Test matches. The mace is a symbol of excellence and recognition of a sides outstanding achievement in the toughest format of the sport, he said. Australias winning performances have been exceptional and they thoroughly deserve to be awarded the mace.These are exciting times for Test cricket as the top four ranked countries are involved in high profile series across three different continents showcasing the very best this format of the sport has to offer. I am sure the incentive of achieving the number-one ranking will further motivate them, bringing out the best in the players.Broadcasters had recently indicated to the ICC that bilateral series lacking context were losing their commercial value, forcing the games custodians to drastically rethink the structure of the international game. The events in Kandy on Monday served only to underline the need for change. Custom Nike Kansas City Royals Jerseys . Vettel was 0.168 seconds faster than Red Bull teammate Mark Webber around the Suzuka circuit. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg was two tenths of a second off Vettel. "The car balance is decent, but I think we can still improve," Vettel said. Custom Nike New York Mets Jerseys . As the crowd erupted, Davis knocked the ball off the glass and back into his hands. With 1:14 to go in overtime, Davis sixth block also became his 17th rebound. 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RIO DE JANEIRO -- Brazilian police said Thursday that swimmer Ryan Lochte and three U.S. teammates were not robbed after a night of partying, and the intoxicated athletes instead vandalized a gas station bathroom and were questioned by armed guards before they paid for the damage and left.The robbery that was or wasnt has become the biggest spectacle outside of the Olympic venues in Rio, casting a shadow over American athletes amid an otherwise remarkable run at the Summer Games. The ordeal was also a blow to Brazilians, who for months endured scrutiny about whether the city could keep athletes and tourists safe given its long history of violence.No robbery was committed against these athletes. They were not victims of the crimes they claimed, Civil Police Chief Fernando Veloso said during a news conference.The police account came in direct contrast to claims from Lochtes attorney earlier in the week. The attorney, Jeff Ostrow, had insisted the swimmer had nothing to gain by making the story up. He, as well as Lochtes father and agent, did not return phone calls seeking comment.The swimmers could potentially face punishment -- probation, suspension, a fine or expulsion -- under USA Swimmings code of conduct. It was not clear if the swimmers would face criminal charges, though police said the athletes could be charged with destruction of property, falsely reporting a crime or both.Two of the swimmers -- Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger -- checked in to a flight out of Brazil late Thursday after a judge lifted the order seizing their passports and keeping them in the country. They had testified about the incident earlier in the day, and Brazilians chanted liar as they left the police building.They did not lie in their statements. They never lied to journalists. They only stayed quiet. They did not know what was going on, attorney Sergio Riera said.The last swimmer in Rio, Jimmy Feigen, provided an updated statement to police, U.S. Olympic officials said, and hoped to get his passport back shortly to return home.The saga began when Lochte claimed that he and his teammates were held at gunpoint and robbed several hours after the last Olympic swimming races ended. But police then said they didnt have evidence to substantiate the story. Their passports were ordered seized so the investigation could continue, but Lochte had already left the country.While some details in the official account of the story changed on Thursday -- police first said no guns were involved, then said two guards pointed weapons at the swimmers -- security video confirmed the athletes vandalized parts of the gas station, leading to an encounter with station employees.The closed-circuit video shows one of the swimmers pulling a sign off of a wall and dropping it onto the ground. A gas station worker arrives, and other workers inspect the damage. Veloso said the swimmers broke a door, a soap dispenser and a mirror.The swimmers eventually talk with station workers as their cab leaves.As they talk, two of the swimmers briefly raise their hands and all four sit down on a curb. After a few minutes, the swimmers stand up and appear to exchange something -- perhaps cash, as police said -- with one of the men.The footage doesnt show a weapon, but a police official speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing said two guards pointed guns during the encounter. Veloso said the guards did not use excessive force and would have been justified in drawing their weapons because the athletes were conducting themselves in a violent way.dddddddddddd station employee called police, and the guards and employees tried to get the swimmers and the taxi driver to stay until authorities arrived, some even offering to help interpret between English and Portuguese, Veloso said. But he said the athletes wanted to leave, so paid 100 Brazilian reals (about US $33) and $20 in U.S. currency and left.Conger and Bentz told authorities that the story of the robbery had been fabricated, said the police official who spoke to the AP about the guns.Police said the swimmers were unable to provide key details in early interviews, saying they had been intoxicated. The police official said officers grew suspicious when security video showed the swimmers returning to the athletes village wearing watches, which would have likely been taken in a robbery.We got pulled over, in the taxi, and these guys came out with a badge, a police badge, no lights, no nothing just a police badge and they pulled us over, Lochte told NBCs Today the morning after the incident. They pulled out their guns, they told the other swimmers to get down on the ground -- they got down on the ground. I refused, I was like we didnt do anything wrong, so -- Im not getting down on the ground.And then the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, `Get down, and I put my hands up, I was like `whatever. He took our money, he took my wallet -- he left my cellphone, he left my credentials.Lochte backed off some of those claims as the week went on, saying the taxi wasnt pulled over, and that the athletes were robbed after stopping at a gas station. Lochte also said a man pointed a gun toward him, but not at his head.The swimmers did not call police, authorities said, and officers only began investigating after they saw news coverage with Lochtes mother speaking about the incident. Lochte also said the swimmers didnt initially tell U.S. Olympic officials what happened because we were afraid wed get in trouble.While hes medaled often, Lochtes accomplishments have long been overshadowed by teammate Michael Phelps -- the most decorated Olympian in history. Lochte, a 12-time medalist, won a gold in Rio in a relay race alongside Phelps.The robbery debacle prompted both wild speculation and social media mockery, which quickly turned to scorn after the official account went public. (hash)LochteGate trended on Twitter, with users sharing video footage and posting comments about white privilege and rude Americans. Memes mocking the Lochte lie proliferated almost immediately.David Fleischer, a political scientist at the University of Brasilia, said the incident touched a nerve in Brazil because of the countrys history and cases of people committing crimes while impersonating police.The story did have some sense of validity but it didnt bear out and it made them look bad worldwide, he said.---AP reporters Beth Harris, Chris Lehourites, Pauline Arrillaga and Renata Brito in Rio de Janeiro, and Steve Reed in Charlotte, North Carolina, contributed to this report.---This story has been corrected to reflect that the lawyer for two of the swimmers is Sergio Riera, not Sergio Viegas. ' ' '