22 Aug 2014 | Cricket
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 before they move on to Cardiff.
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.
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 the Reliance 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:
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
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
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
1 (+1) Hashim Amla SA 870
2 (-1) AB de Villiers SA 869
3 (-1) Virat Kohli Ind 868
4 ( - ) George Bailey Aus 856
5 ( - ) K. Sangakkara SL 823
6 ( - ) MS Dhoni Ind 771
7 ( - ) T. Dilshan SL 750
8 (+3) Quinton de Kock SA 730
9 (-1) Misbah-ul-Haq Pak 715
10 (-1) Ross Taylor NZ 713
11 (-1) Shikhar Dhawan Ind 712
12 ( - ) Kane Williamson NZ 688!
13 ( - ) Shane Watson Aus 676
14 ( - ) Michael Clarke Aus 660
15= ( - ) M. Hafeez Pak 654
( - ) Ahmed Shehzad Pak 654
17 ( - ) Umar Akmal Pak 652
18 ( - ) Eoin Morgan Ire/Eng 639
19 ( - ) Martin Guptill NZ 635
20 ( - ) Alastair Cook Eng 625
Bowlers
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts
1 ( - ) Saeed Ajmal Pak 789
2 ( - ) Sunil Narine WI 718
3 ( - ) James Anderson Eng 706
4 ( - ) Dale Steyn SA 693
5= ( - ) Clint McKay Aus 666
( - ) Ravindra Jadeja Ind 666
7 (+3) Ryan McLaren SA 663
8 (-1) L. Tsotsobe SA 654
9 (-1) Morne Morkel SA 646
10 (-1) Mitchell Johnson Aus 639
11 (-1) M. Hafeez Pak 637
12 ( - ) Kyle Mills NZ 633
13 ( - ) James Tredwell Eng 627
14 ( - ) S. Senanayake SL 625*
15 ( - ) Rangana Herath SL 623
16 ( - ) Junaid Khan Pak 613
17 ( - ) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 608
18= ( - ) Tim Southee NZ 607
( - ) R. Ashwin Ind 607
20 (-2) Kemar Roach WI 601
For more information, go to www.relianceiccrankings.com.