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Lahore: The next couple of weeks promise to provide a continuation of exciting international cricket as the six top-ranked sides in the Reliance ICC ODI Team Rankings go head to head with one eye on next year’s ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, now just 175 days away.
On Saturday, Hambantota will host the first of three matches between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, while in Harare on Monday, the tri-series between Australia, South Africa and Zimbabwe gets underway with the opening match between the host and Australia. Also on Monday, Bristol will stage the first ODI of the five-match series between England and India.
In the meantime, eighth-ranked West Indies is already involved in its series against ninth-ranked Bangladesh, and leads the three-match series 1-0. This series concludes on Monday.
There is a lot to play for in the 17 matches scheduled over the next 16 days. Not only are the six top sides separated by just 15 ratings points, but the captains and the coaches will have their sights firmly set on the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, which kicks off in Christchurch and Melbourne on 14 February.
Furthermore, these matches will provide excellent opportunities to younger players to impress the selectors with their mettle and prowess, and strengthen their claims for places in sides for ICC’s pinnacle ODI event.
There is further context to these matches as Pakistan and India will be hoping to avenge their defeat in their respective Test series. Sri Lanka won both its matches against Pakistan while England came from behind to wrap up the series against India 3-1. While doing so, both England and Sri Lanka moved ahead of their respective opponents in the Reliance ICC Test Team Championship table. 
In Harare, Australia and South Africa will do battle for the number-one position in the Reliance ICC ODI Team Rankings, with Michael Clarke’s men sitting on top of the tree, and South Africa just three ratings points behind. The two teams are also at loggerheads for the number-one position in the Reliance ICC Test Team Championship, with South Africa ahead by just one ratings point.
To find out exactly how forthcoming series will affect the Rankings Table, please click here. The ODI and T20I Rankings tables, unlike the Test Rankings Table, are updated after every match.
There are battles within battles when the Reliance ICC ODI Player Rankings are taken into account.
South Africa captain Hashim Amla has regained the number-one batting spot from team-mate AB de Villiers in theReliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI Batsmen, following his scores of 122 not out and 15 against Zimbabwe. But his lead over de Villiers is just one ratings point, with India’s Virat Kohli another point behind in third spot.
With three points separating the top three batsmen, any batsman producing strong performances in the forthcoming matches could finish on top of the table. If the trio fails and fourth-ranked George Bailey of Australia gets a few big scores, then the tide could potentially sway in favour of the former Australia U19 captain, who can surge to the top of the charts for the first time in his career.
As many as nine batsmen inside the top 10 will feature in the forthcoming matches. Apart from Amla, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq also feature inside the top 10 in sixth and ninth positions, respectively. England captain Alastair Cook is in 20th position and Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews is 22nd.
In the ICC Players Rankings for ODI Bowlers, Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal holds the number-one position. He leads West Indies’ Sunil Narine by 71 ratings points, with England’s James Anderson hoping to continue with his rich form with the ball and leapfrog the West Indies spinner, whom he trails by 12 ratings points.
The Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI All-rounders is headed by Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez, with the top five also including Angelo Mathews in third place and Ravindra Jadeja of India in fourth.
Forthcoming series:
West Indies v Bangladesh (remaining matches)
22 August – Second ODI, Grenada
25 August – Third ODI, Basseterre
Sri Lanka v Pakistan
23 August – First ODI, Hambantota
27 August – Second ODI, Colombo
30 August – Third ODI, Dambulla
Tri-series in Zimbabwe
25 August – Zimbabwe v Australia, Harare
27 August – Australia v South Africa, Harare
29 August – Zimbabwe v South Africa, Harare
31 August – Zimbabwe v Australia, Harare
2 September – Australia v South Africa, Harare
4 September – Zimbabwe v South Africa, Harare
6 September – Final
England v India
25 August – First ODI, Bristol
27 August – Second ODI, Cardiff
30 August – Third ODI, Nottingham
2 September – Fourth ODI, Birmingham
5 September – Fifth ODI, Leeds
Reliance ICC ODI Team Rankings (as on 22 August, after the first ODI between West Indies and Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe-South Africa series)
Rank Team Rating
1 Australia 115
2 India 112
3 South Africa 111
4 Sri Lanka 111
5 England 109
6 Pakistan 100
7 New Zealand 98
8 West Indies 94
9 Bangladesh 71
10 Zimbabwe 56
11 Afghanistan 42
12 Ireland 33
(Developed by David Kendix)
Reliance ICC ODI Player Rankings (as on 22 August, after the first ODI between West Indies and Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe-South Africa series)
Batsmen
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Ave HS Rating
1 (+1) Hashim Amla SA 870 55.61 901 v Eng at Trent Bridge 2012
2 (-1) AB de Villiers SA 869 49.36 885 v SL at Hambantota 2014
3 (-1) Virat Kohli Ind 868 52.16 886 v Ban at Fatullah 2014
4 ( – ) George Bailey Aus 856*! 53.12 856 v Eng at Adelaide 2014
5 ( – ) K. Sangakkara SL 823 40.39 853 v Afg at Mirpur 2014
6 ( – ) MS Dhoni Ind 771 53.28 836 v Aus at Delhi 2009
7 ( – ) T. Dilshan SL 750 38.02 767 v Pak at Sharjah 2013
8 (+3) Quinton de Kock SA 730*! 49.31 730 v Zim at Bulawayo 2014
9 (-1) Misbah-ul-Haq Pak 715 44.38 744 v SL at Fatullah 2014
10 (-1) Ross Taylor NZ 713! 40.07 713 v Ind at Wellington 2014
11 (-1) Shikhar Dhawan Ind 712* 41.77 736 v WI at Kanpur 2013
12 ( – ) Kane Williamson NZ 688! 39.51 688 v Ind at Wellington 2014
13 ( – ) Shane Watson Aus 676 41.06 773 v SL at Hambantota 2011
14 ( – ) Michael Clarke Aus 660 44.66 750 v SL at Melbourne 2008
15= ( – ) M. Hafeez Pak 654 31.05 665 v Ban at Mirpur 2014
( – ) Ahmed Shehzad Pak 654 34.40 670 v Ban at Mirpur 2014
17 ( – ) Umar Akmal Pak 652 38.57 702 v Afg at Sharjah 2012
18 ( – ) Eoin Morgan Ire/Eng 639 39.02 690 v Aus at The Oval 2010
19 ( – ) Martin Guptill NZ 635 39.16 684 v Zim at Napier 2012
20 ( – ) Alastair Cook Eng 625 38.03 752 v Aus at Lord’s 2012
Bowlers
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Avge Econ HS Rating
1 ( – ) Saeed Ajmal Pak 789 22.25 4.14 810 v SA at Centurion 2013
2 ( – ) Sunil Narine WI 718 27.39 4.16 791 v SL at Jamaica 2013
3 ( – ) James Anderson Eng 706 28.69 4.94 719 v SA at The Oval 2013
4 ( – ) Dale Steyn SA 693 25.98 4.83 746 v Ind at Durban 2013
5= ( – ) Clint McKay Aus 666 24.37 4.78 709 v Eng at Cardiff 2013
( – ) Ravindra Jadeja Ind 666 32.58 4.71 738 v Zim at Bulawayo 2013
7 (+3) Ryan McLaren SA 663 25.47 5.05 681 v Zim at Bulawayo 2014
8 (-1) L. Tsotsobe SA 654 24.96 4.75 743 v NZ at Auckland 2012
9 (-1) Morne Morkel SA 646 23.75 4.83 717 v SL at East London 2012
10 (-1) Mitchell Johnson Aus 639 25.88 4.85 724 v Ban at Darwin 2008
11 (-1) M. Hafeez Pak 637 35.60 4.06 769 v Ind at Kolkata 2013
12 ( – ) Kyle Mills NZ 633 26.74 4.72 722 v Aus at Melbourne 2009
13 ( – ) James Tredwell Eng 627*! 24.98 4.76 627 v SL at Edgbaston 2014
14 ( – ) S. Senanayake SL 625* 34.82 4.62 629 v SA at Colombo (RPS) 2014
15 ( – ) Rangana Herath SL 623 32.46 4.36 703 v SA at Pallekele 2013
16 ( – ) Junaid Khan Pak 613 24.37 4.99 655 v SL at Abu Dhabi 2013
17 ( – ) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 608 28.92 4.30 717 v Zim at Chittagong 2009
18= ( – ) Tim Southee NZ 607 31.52 5.20 633 v Eng at Lord’s 2013
( – ) R. Ashwin Ind 607 32.91 4.90 691 v SL at Hambantota 2012
20 (-2) Kemar Roach WI 601 27.28 4.92 650 v Pak at St Lucia 2013
All-rounders
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts HS Rating
1 ( – ) M. Hafeez Pak 417 438 v Ind at Kolkata 2013
2 ( – ) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 368 453 v Zim at Chittagong 2009
3 ( – ) Angelo Mathews SL 365 373 v Pak at Mirpur 2014
4 ( – ) Ravindra Jadeja Ind 348 378 v Eng at Edgbaston 2013
5 ( – ) Shane Watson Aus 336 433 v WI at St Lucia 2012
