ICC issues ODI ranking,India earns no-1 position

Lahore: World champion India has retained its number-one ranking in the Reliance ICC ODI Team Rankings following the conclusion of its series against England and the triangular series in Zimbabwe.

India surged to the top of the table on 30 August after it won the Nottingham ODI against England. Although India lost the fifth ODI at Headingley on Friday, South Africa’s victory in the final of the triangular series on Saturday meant that India held onto the number-one position by a fraction of a point.

India and South Africa are equal at 113 ratings points, but when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point, India has 113.49 ratings points as compared to South Africa’s 112.96 ratings points. Had South Africa also defeated Australia on 2 September, then it would have claimed the number-one position.

Australia had needed to beat South Africa in the final to regain the number-one spot, but the defeat meant it finished on equal points with Sri Lanka, at 111. When the ratings were calculated beyond the decimal point, Sri Lanka is ranked third and Australia fourth.

Australia entered the series in the number-one position but its three-wicket defeat to Zimbabwe cost it three valuable ratings points, which resulted in it dropping to 111 ratings points.

With 160 days to go to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, ODI cricket between Full Members will now resume in October, when India will host the West Indies in a five-ODI series, Australia will travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to lock horns with Pakistan in a three-match series and New Zealand will play host to South Africa in a three-match series.

Next week, Ireland and Scotland will square-off in a three-ODI series in Dublin. These matches will be played on 8, 10 and 12 September. Both sides have qualified for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, with Scotland in Group A alongside Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, and Ireland grouped with India, Pakistan, South Africa, West Indies, UAE and Zimbabwe in Group B.

Rank   Team              Rating     

1          India                113

2          South Africa   113

3          Sri Lanka         111

4          Australia         111

5          England           107

6          Pakistan           100

7          New Zealand  98

8          West Indies     96

9          Bangladesh     69

10        Zimbabwe       58

11        Afghanistan    42

12        Ireland             33