What’s the story?
The India-England ODI series is scheduled to begin on January 15. Also, the ODI series between Australia and Pakistan is already underway, and the hosts have taken a 1-0 lead in the series. The results of these two series will have a bearing on the ICC Rankings, and all the teams involved would look to consolidate and improve upon their current standing in the ICC table.
In case you didn’t know...
Currently, the table is led by the Australian team, and India are number 3 on the list. England find themselves at number 5, and the Azhar Ali-led Pakistan are languishing at number 8.
There are a lot of permutations and combinations attached to each of the two series and with the Champions Trophy and subsequently, the World Cup looming large, the rankings assume all the more importance.
The heart of the matter
The Indian team has 111 points, and if they manage to beat England 3-0, they gain 5 points and would be just 2 points behind South Africa which is currently ranked number 2. However, if England manage to upstage the hosts, they gain considerably and move to the number 4 position. India meanwhile would drop down to number 5.
Also, New Zealand which is currently at number 4, would gain one place and move to number 3.
Pakistan on the other hand, is a struggling unit, both on the field and on the ranking table. They are at number 8 and have 89 ranking points. If they are blanked 5-0 by Australia, they would further slide to number 9, below West Indies. However, if they manage to win even one match in the series, they would remain seated at number 8.
However, Australia would want to win the series by a margin of 5-0, or 4-1, as this would help them gain few more ranking points which would consolidate their top position. If however, they win the series 3-2, they would lose a few points.
Pakistan, on the other hand, would want to prove a point, and if they manage to win the series, it would drag them above Bangladesh, which would further bolster their chances of qualifying for the 2019 World Cup. If they manage to win the series by a comprehensive margin of 4-1, they would push Australia to number 2, and South Africa would become the number 1 ranked ODI team.
What next?
With the number game being one complicated affair the teams would want to get on with business on the field and leave the numbers to sort themselves out.
Sportskeeda’s Take
Pakistan would want to start climbing the table as their World Cup participation could be under the scanner. Also, England would love to gain some upper hand against hosts India in the limited overs format.
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