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Lahore: Australia has a chance to reclaim the top spot in the Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings when it faces host Pakistan in the two-Test series in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which starts on Wednesday in the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
A two-nil series win over Pakistan will lift Michael Clarke’s charges to the top of the summit – one point clear of South Africa, which currently holds top spot. A one-nil series victory will move Australia to join South Africa level on 124 points, but the Proteas will continue to hold the slenderest of 0.24 of an advantage.
In contrast, a one-nil victory for sixth-place Pakistan, which currently lies level on points with India, will move it up two ratings places to fourth, while a 2-0 win will push them even further up the ladder into third place, 12 points behind Australia, which will lose further ground on South Africa.
Even a 1-1 draw will see Pakistan edge clear of India, while Australia will slip three points behind the leaders.
Australia was most recently the number-one ranked Test side between May and July 2014, before South Africa overtook them. Before then, Australia last held top spot since the new rankings system was introduced in 2002 until August 2009.
In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen, Australia will be looking to the fit-again Clarke (seventh) and its top-ranked batsman David Warner (fifth) to lay the platform in its innings.
Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq is sitting in 10th position and Younus Khan is 11th with both batsmen separate by just three ratings points and aiming to maintain an upward trajectory.
In the Reliance ICC Players Rankings for Test Bowlers, Australia currently has three bowlers well-positioned to improve their ratings.
In the absence of number-two ranked Ryan Harris, left-arm paceman Mitchell Johnson, who is currently ranked in fourth place, has Sri Lanka’s Rangana Herath in his sights as he aims to shave the seven-point deficit. Johnson is joined in the top 20 by team-mates Peter Siddle (12th) and off-spinner Nathan Lyon (18th).
Bangladesh v Zimbabwe
With Bangladesh and Zimbabwe will be aiming to gain vital rankings points in their series, which starts on 25 October.
Bangladesh is aiming to reduce a 20-point deficit on Zimbabwe and know that a series victory can boost its standing. A 3-0 series win will see Bangladesh leapfrog its rivals and claim a 14-point advantage, while a 2-0 series win will result in a nine-point lead for the host. A 2-1 victory will give Mushfiqur Rahim’s side a two-point advantage.
With similar scenarios at play, a 3-0 win for Zimbabwe will open up a 35-point lead on Bangladesh, 2-0 series result will increase Zimbabwe’s lead to 28 points, while a one-nil win will ensure a 23 points lead for Brendan Taylor’s men over the Asian side.
If the series ends in a 1-1 draw, Bangladesh will stay grounded, however, the deficit will reduce from 20 to 10 points.
Taylor is the highest-ranked Zimbabwe batsman in joint-18th place, 17 points adrift of Australia’s Chris Rogers, while Bangladesh’s hopes will rely strongly on the reliable Shakib Al Hasan (in 32nd place).
Shakib (19th) will also have a keen interest in improving his bowling ranking and, depending on performances elsewhere in the UAE, he can move ahead of Australia’s Lyon. Right-arm fast medium bowler Tendai Chatara is the leading bowler in the African nation’s side in 43rd place.
Potentially, three players from the top five of the ICC Player Rankings for Test All-rounders can each make positive strides in their attempt to claim the number-one spot. Bangladesh’s Al Hasan is currently best placed in second position to reduce India’s Ravichandran Ashwin seven-point advantage at the summit.
Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings (as on 21 October, ahead of Pakistan-Australia and Bangladesh-Zimbabwe series)
Rank Team Rating
1 South Africa 124
2 Australia 123
3 England 104
4 Sri Lanka 101
5 India 96
6 Pakistan 96
7 New Zealand 93
8 West Indies 75
9 Zimbabwe 39
10 Bangladesh 19
(Developed by David Kendix)
Reliance ICC Test Player Rankings (as on 21 October, ahead of Pakistan-Australia and Bangladesh-Zimbabwe series):
Batsmen
Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
1 K. Sangakkara SL 915 58.76 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
2 AB de Villiers SA 888 51.02 935 v Aus at Port Elizabeth 2014
3 S.Chanderpaul WI 887 53.10 901 v NZ at Napier 2008
4 Angelo Mathews SL 873! 52.65 873 v Pak at Colombo (SSC) 2014
5 David Warner Aus 871! 46.54 871 v SA at Cape Town 2014
6 Hashim Amla SA 863 51.32 907 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2013
7 Michael Clarke Aus 818 51.50 900 v SL at Melbourne 2012
8 Ross Taylor NZ 795 46.43 871 v WI at Hamilton 2013
9 Joe Root Eng 789! 50.94 789 v Ind at The Oval 2014
10 Misbah-ul-Haq Pak 762 46.92 824 v SL at Sharjah 2014
11 Younus Khan Pak 759 51.41 880 v SL at Lahore 2009
12 Steven Smith Aus 737*! 40.02 737 v SA at Cape Town 2014
13 K. Williamson NZ 728! 40.28 728 v WI at Bridgetown 2014
14 Faf du Plessis SA 707*! 52.58 707 v Zim at Harare 2014
15 M. Jayawardene SL 702 49.84 883 v Ind at Ahmedabad 2009
16 C. Pujara Ind 691 49.26 851 v SA at Durban 2013
17 Chris Rogers Aus 675* 38.14 694 v Eng at Sydney 2014
18= Brendan Taylor Zim 652*! 35.73 652 v SA at Harare 2014
Ian Bell Eng 652 45.00 822 v Ind at The Oval 2011
20 B. McCullum NZ 651 37.10 724 v Ind at Wellington 2014
Selected Rankings
Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
24 Asad Shafiq Pak 621 36.85 680 v SA at Cape Town 2013
26 Azhar Ali Pak 611 38.41 753 v SL at Pallekele 2012
32 Shakib Al Hasan Ban 582 37.96 603 v WI at Khulna 2012
33 M. Rahim Ban 571 33.60 598 v WI at Kingstown 2014
35 Brad Haddin Aus 568 35.26 637 v WI at Perth 2009
36 Mominul Haque Ban 567* 62.64 584 v NZ at Mirpur 2013
37 Tamim Iqbal Ban 565 36.89 707 v Eng at Old Trafford 2010
50 Sarfraz Ahmed Pak 482*! 32.53 482 v SL at Colombo (SSC) 2014
57 M. Hafeez Pak 442 33.96 595 v SL at Colombo (SSC) 2012
58 H. Masakadza Zim 440*! 27.12 440 v SA at Harare 2014
63 Phillip Hughes Aus 424 32.65 599 v Eng at Lord’s 2009
66 Ahmed Shehzad Pak 399* 35.90 403 v SL at Sharjah 2014
71 Mahmudullah Ban 387* 28.36 445 v NZ at Hamilton 2010
75 Shaun Marsh Aus 380* 32.86 432 v SA at Centurion 2014
77 Sikandar Raza Zim 377* 42.00 385 v Pak at Harare 2013
81 V. Sibanda Zim 356* 21.96 378 v WI at Dominica 2013
82 Tino Mawoyo Zim 347* 30.26 396 v Pak at Bulawayo 2011
85 Mitchell Starc Aus 340* 30.78 368 v Eng at The Oval 2013
87 Alex Doolan Aus 335* 31.00 435 v SA at Centurion 2014
90 E. Chigumbura Zim 333* 20.66 358 v Pak at Harare 2013
91 M. Johnson Aus 332 22.12 477 v Eng at Lord’s 2009
92 Malcolm Waller Zim 328* 25.73 334 v Pak at Harare 2013
Bowlers
Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
1 Dale Steyn SA 907 22.56 908 v Pak at Johannesburg 2013
2 Ryan Harris Aus 870! 22.56 870 v SA at Cape Town 2014
3 Rangana Herath SL 851! 29.06 851 v Pak at Colombo (SSC) 2014
4 Mitchell Johnson Aus 844! 27.42 844 v SA at Cape Town 2014
5 James Anderson Eng 806 29.72 813 v Ind at Edgbaston 2011
6 V. Philander SA 785 21.57 912 v Ind at Johannesburg 2013
7 Tim Southee NZ 783 29.83 799 v WI at Kingston 2014
8 Stuart Broad Eng 774 29.90 783 v WI at Lord’s 2012
9 Kemar Roach WI 768! 25.98 768 v Ban at St Lucia 2014
10 Saeed Ajmal Pak 762 28.10 855 v Zim at Harare 2013
11 Trent Boult NZ 737* 27.45 767 v Ind at Wellington 2014
12 Peter Siddle Aus 733 29.37 816 v Eng at Old Trafford 2013
13 R. Ashwin Ind 710 28.65 808 v WI at Mumbai 2013
14 Morne Morkel SA 707 29.90 776 v Aus at Cape Town 2011
15 Pragyan Ojha Ind 691 30.26 773 v Eng at Kolkata 2012
16 Junaid Khan Pak 652*! 28.83 652 v SL at Colombo (SSC) 2014
17 Abdur Rehman Pak 650* 29.39 739 v Eng at Dubai 2012
18 Nathan Lyon Aus 607 32.99 648 v Eng at Melbourne 2013
19 Shakib Al Hasan Ban 601 33.36 680 v WI at Mirpur 2011
20 Ishant Sharma Ind 588 36.75 671 v WI at Dominica 2011
Selected Rankings
Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
36 Mitchell Starc Aus 399* 33.60 432 v Eng at The Oval 2013
43 Tendai Chatara Zim 360*! 26.11 360 v SA at Harare 2014
62 Mahmudullah Ban 266* 46.91 381 v WI at St George’s 2009
64 T. Panyangara Zim 251* 31.11 303 v Pak at Harare 2013
68 M. Talha Pak 239* 40.88 241 v SL at Galle 2014
78 Rahat Ali Pak 203* 45.31 271 v Zim at Harare 2013
80 Taijul Islam Ban 178*! 38.62 178 v WI at St Lucia 2014
84 H.Masakadza Zim 151* 27.00 249 v Ban at Harare 2013
85 Rubel Hossain Ban 147* 82.29 161 v Zim at Harare 2013
87 Michael Clarke Aus 141* 37.16 265 v NZ at Wellington 2005
88 Steven Smith Aus 138*! 47.90 138 v SA at Cape Town 2014
91= John Nyumbu Zim 130*! 36.20 130 v SA at Harare 2014
94 Shafiul Islam Ban 123*! 62.81 123 v WI at St Lucia 2014
97 Zulfiqar Babar Pak 117* 44.00 158 v SA at Abu Dhabi 2013
99 E. Chigumbura Zim 114* 48.68 177 v Ban at Chittagong 2005
All-rounders
Rank Player Team Points HS Rating
1 R. Ashwin Ind 357*/ 419 v WI at Mumbai 2013
2 Shakib Al Hasan Ban 350 404 v Pak at Mirpur 2011
3 V. Philander SA 348*/ 376 v Aus at Cape Town 2014
4 Stuart Broad Eng 296 382 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2012
5 M. Johnson Aus 280 384 v Eng at Cardiff 2009
