Shuffling of the pack could be on the cards in the Reliance ICC ODI Championship table when three of the four top ranked sides go head to head in the three-nation tournament which starts in Melbourne on Sunday.

Incidentally, the tri-series format returns to Australia for the first time in four years, with the same three sides-Australia, India and Sri Lanka - participating as in its last edition in 2008.

Number-one ranked and four-time former world champion Australia sits pretty on 130 ratings points, leading second-ranked current world champion India by 14 ratings points with fourth-ranked 1996 world champion Sri Lanka another five ratings points behind.

And as the rankings system is weighted to reflect this difference, Sri Lanka could earn significant number of points if it is successful in the series. In contrast, Australia and India can lose points if they don't win bulk of their matches.

To explain further, if Australia beats India in the opener on Sunday, it will earn one ratings point while India will drop one ratings point. However, if the result is reversed, then Australia will lose two ratings points whereas India will gain one ratings point.

Similarly, if India loses to Australia and then to Sri Lanka, Australia will rise to 131 ratings points and Sri Lanka will move to 113 ratings points whereas India will slip to third position at 115 ratings points.

On the other hand, if India lives up to its reputation of being world champions and manages to win all its matches, it could go up on the table.

With a maximum of 15 matches to be played in the series with each side guaranteed at least eight matches, there will be regular changes on the Championship table with the final shape of the table only emerging after 8 March when the series in Australia ends. By that time, Pakistan-England and New Zealand-South Africa ODI series would have also finished.

To find out exactly how Australia-India-Sri Lanka series will affect the Championship table, please click here. The ODI Championship table, unlike the Test Championship table, is updated after every match.

Meanwhile, in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen, India's Virat Kohli will start off as the highest-ranked batsman in the series in third place.

Kohli, who showed good form in the Test series against Australia when he ended up as his side's leading run-getter with 300 runs, trails South Africa's ODI captain AB De Villiers (at second place) by 45 ratings points while Hashim Amla sits on top, another 26 rating points ahead. Amla and de Villiers will feature in the three-match ODI series in New Zealand from 25 February to 3 March.

The other batsmen in the series inside the top10 include India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (sixth), Kumar Sangakkara (seventh), Mike Hussey (eighth) and Michael Clarke (ninth). And depending on how these batsmen perform over the next few weeks, there could be changes in the top-half of the batting chart.

In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga is the highest-ranked bowler in the series in 10th position. India's Ravindra Jadeja and Brett Lee of Australia are the highest-ranked bowlers of their sides in 13th and 15th positions, respectively.

Forthcoming ODIs:

New Zealand v Zimbabwe in New Zealand

6 Feb - New Zealand v Zimbabwe, second ODI, Whangarei

9 Feb - New Zealand v Zimbabwe, third ODI, Napier

Three-nation series in Australia

5 Feb - Australia v India (d/n), Melbourne

8 Feb - India v Sri Lanka (d/n), Perth

10 Feb - Australia v Sri Lanka (d/n), Perth

12 Feb - Australia v India (d/n), Adelaide

14 Feb - India v Sri Lanka (d/n), Adelaide

17 Feb - Australia, Sri Lanka (d/n), Sydney

19 Feb - Australia v India (d/n), Brisbane

21 Feb - India v Sri Lanka (d/n), Brisbane

24 Feb - Australia v Sri Lanka (d/n), Hobart

26 Feb - Australia v India (d/n), Sydney

28 Feb - India v Sri Lanka (d/n), Hobart

2 March - Australia v Sri Lanka (d/n), Melbourne

4 March - First final (d/n), Brisbane

6 March - Second final (d/n), Adelaide

8 March - Third final (d/n), Adelaide (if required)

 

Crafty off-spinner Saeed Ajmal has risen one more place and his spin partner Abdur Rehman has broken into the top 10 for the first time in his career in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers which were released on Sunday after the conclusion of the Abu Dhabi, Adelaide and Napier Tests.

Saeed followed up his 10-97 in the Dubai Test with seven for 130 in the Abu Dhabi Test which was enough to put him ahead of England's fast bowler James Anderson in second position.

The 34-year-old has earned 50 ratings points for this achievement giving him a career-best rating, and he now leads Anderson by 25 ratings points but still trails number-one ranked Dale Steyn of South Africa by 84 ratings points.

Left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman, who had figures of two for 67 and six for 25 to win the man of the match award, has jumped five places to ninth spot. The 31-year-old from Sialkot had also gained five places in the bowlers' rankings after his match figures of four for 89 in the Dubai Test.

This is after 23 years year that two Pakistan spinners figure inside the top 10 of the Test player rankings. In September 1988, Abdul Qadir was ranked fifth and Iqbal Qasim 10th, along with Imran Khan (third), Wasim Akram (eighth) and Tauseef Ahmed (13th). The very fact that Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez are currently the two top-ranked ODI bowlers means this is undoubtedly one of the finest periods for Pakistan spinners in the history of the game.

Also making upward movements are Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris, Nathan Lyon (all Australia), Chris Martin, Doug Bracewell (both New Zealand), while Monty Panesar of England has returned to the rankings in 34th position.

Siddle, who won the man of the match award for his six for 96 in the Adelaide Test, has gained two places and is now in fourth position with a career-best rating, Harris's match figures of four for 112 has lifted him four places to 22nd spot, while Lyon's match figures of five for 111 has earned him nine places and puts him in 43rd position.

Martin has jumped three places to 13th position following his match figures of eight for 31 in the Napier Test which has also earned him the man of the award while Bracewell has climbed four places and is now in 31st position after his five for 38.

Mainstays of their sides' batting orders - Michael Clarke, Misbah-ul-Haq, Ricky Ponting and Ross Taylor - have made big strides in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen.

Clarke, who struck 210 and 37 and ended up as the player of the series against India, has moved up seven places and now occupies third position. Ponting is the next highest-ranked Australia batsman in 14th position after he climbed eight places following his scores of 221 and 60 not out.

Misbah has broken into the top 10 for the first time in his career in eighth position by rising six places following his contributions of 84 and 12 while Taylor's 122 retired hurt in Napier has lifted him three places to 17th position.

Other notable batsmen moving up the order include Azhar Ali in 22nd (up by two), Andrew Strauss in 33rd (up by one), Brad Haddin in 41st (up by two), Asad Shafiq in 47th (up by 12), Virat Kohli in 50th (up by 17) and Bradley-John Watling in 78th (up by 23).

Reliance ICC Test Championship table

Despite Pakistan having already won its seventh series out of 11 against England since 1983-84, there is still a lot to play for in the third and final Test which starts in Dubai on Friday 3 February.

For England, the equation is very simple and straightforward - it has to win the Test to be guaranteed a number-one spot at the 1 April cut-off date and with it a US$175,000 prize which is presented annually to the side which tops the Reliance ICC Test Championship table at the cut-off date.

If England wins the Test, it will finish on 120 ratings points and will top the table irrespective of how South Africa's three-Test series in New Zealand, to be played from 7-27 March, pans out.

However, England's failure to win the Dubai Test will give South Africa a chance to not only reclaim the number-one spot but will also win the US$175,000 prize.

If England loses the Dubai Test and with it the series 3-0, it will finish on 118 ratings points and can be overtaken by South Africa by a ratings point, provided South Africa sweeps the series in New Zealand.

If England salvages a draw, then it will end on 119 ratings points but will be beaten by South Africa by 0.01 of a ratings point, again if the Proteas win all the three Tests against New Zealand.

The incentive for Pakistan is to win the Test and the series 3-0 is also high. It has the opportunity to narrow the gap with India and Australia to just three ratings points. The two sides are currently sitting on 111 ratings points each, but India is ranked third by a fraction of a point following the home side's 4-0 series win.

A 2-1 series win will mean it will finish on 105 ratings points, while a 2-0 series win will earn it eight ratings points and it will finish on 107 ratings points.

 

 

India and Australia have moved in opposite directions in the Reliance ICC Test Championship table after the conclusion of their four-Test series in Adelaide on Saturday.

India, which had entered the series in second place on 118 ratings points, has fallen to 111 ratings points while fourth-ranked Australia has boosted its standing in the Championship table after gaining eight ratings points which has put it alongside India on 111 ratings points.

However, Mahendra Singh Dhoni?s side is still ranked above Michael Clarke?s men by a fraction of a point. When the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point, India has 111.10 ratings points while Australia is on 110.80 ratings points.

Nevertheless, Australia will have a chance to move ahead of India when it travels to the West Indies in March to play in a three-Test series which will start in Barbados on 7 April. There, Australia will need to win the series by 1-0 or better to achieve number-three position on the Championship table.

Since 16 December 2010 India has dropped from 129 ratings points to 111 ratings points. In the last 13 months, India drew with South Africa (1-1) in South Africa, beat the West Indies in West Indies (1-0), lost 4-0 to England in England, beat the West Indies (2-0) at home before losing 4-0 to Australia in Australia.

South Africa's Lonwabo Tsotsobe has become his country's highest-ranked bowler in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers after finishing as the joint-leading wicket-taker along with Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga in the five-match ODI series which finished in Johannesburg on Sunday.

The 27-year-old from Port Elizabeth claimed 11 wickets at just under 19 runs per wicket and played a key role in his side's 3-2 series win over the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 finalist. For this achievement, the left-arm fast bowler has been rewarded with a jump of 10 places and puts him in third spot behind Pakistan's spin pair of Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez.

While making an upward movement, Tsotsobe has leapfrogged team-mates Morne Morkel, who has dropped one place to seventh spot, and Dale Steyn, who has slipped to 15th position after conceding five places.

Malinga, meanwhile, has returned in 10th position after gaining one place.

Also heading in the right direction are Robin Peterson in 44th (up by 14) and Wayne Parnell in 58th (up by six) while Albie Morkel has re-entered in 95th spot.

In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen, there is no change in the top 10 as South Africa's Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers continue to enjoy the top spots.

Outside the top 10, South Africa's Graeme Smith is one of the biggest movers, returning to the top 20 in 17th position after gaining five places following his series contribution of 229 runs, including 125 in Johannesburg, yesterday.

Also heading in the right direction are Sri Lanka's Upul Tharanga and Dinesh Chandimal. Tharanga has gained eight places and is now in 35th spot while Chandimal is in 65th position after rising 35 places.

In the Reliance ICC ODI Championship, both the sides have retained their pre-series rankings. The Proteas had, in fact, moved ahead of India in second place after taking a 3-0 lead but again dropped to third after losing the last two games in Kimberley and Johannesburg.

Australia all-rounder Lisa Sthalekar has an opportunity to reclaim the number-one position in the Reliance ICC Women's ODI Player Rankings for bowlers should the 32-year-old have a good turn with the ball in the upcoming Rose Bowl series that begins on Wednesday (25 January) against New Zealand in Sydney.

Sthalekar is just 14 ratings points behind table-topper Jhulan Goswami of India, the off-spinning Australian previously held the number-one position back in February 2010. The all-rounder has a real chance of retaking the top slot if she claims a number of wickets in the three-match series.

Sthalekar also has an opportunity to close in on the gap between her and ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year 2011, Stafanie Taylor of the West Indies, who currently tops the Reliance ICC Women's ODI Player Rankings for all-rounders.

Sthalekar is 33 ratings points behind the Jamaican all-rounder and if she maintains her current form as witnessed during the recent Twenty20 International (T20I) series against New Zealand, she could be in with a real chance to reclaim the spot she last held in 2007. 

Elsewhere in the bowling rankings, Australia's Ellyse Perry in the next highest-ranked player involved in the upcoming series with the fast bowler eyeing a rise up from 11th place, while team-mate Erin Osborne, currently 19th, will also be hoping to climb up the table.

New Zealand's bowlers currently outside of the top 20 includes medium-pace duo Sian Ruck and Kate Broadmore in 25th and 35th positions, respectively. The pair have struggled to take wickets in the recent Twenty20 Internationals but the longer format of the game may provide them with the wickets they require to rise up the rankings.

Meanwhile, in the Reliance ICC Women's ODI Player Rankings for batters there is a potential for plenty of movement from both Australia and New Zealand players.

The highest-ranked player from either side is Australia's Alex Blackwell in sixth place, while Sthalekar is eighth and Jess Cameron 10th.

New Zealand captain Suzie Bates is currently the highest-ranked White Fern in 14th place. The right-handed batter took over the captaincy this season and will want a strong performance by the side in the series.

Meanwhile, Lucy Doolan (15th), Amy Satterwaite (18th) and Katey Martin (45th) will all have their eyes on moving up the table for the New Zealand women's side. Australia's young newcomer Meg Lanning, currently ranking 32nd after eight ODIs, may well break into the top 20 this series should she perform strongly with the bat.

As mentioned earlier, the all-rounder table is topped by Taylor with Sthalekar in second, while Perry and Doolan respectively have a good chance of breaking into the top five.

The player rankings will next be updated at the conclusion of the Rose Bowl series.