Australia and England out to reclaim No. 1 ODI position

Australia and England would aim for the top ODI spot

Australia and England begin a five-match series from 12 January in Melbourne, with both sides having an opportunity to reclaim the number-one position on the Reliance ICC ODI Team Rankings.

Australia is currently ranked second with 114 ratings points, six ratings behind number-one ranked India, while England is ranked third on 111 ratings points.

Australia was last ranked number-one in July 2012, only to be overtaken by England who held the top position till December 2012.

Australia and England’s rise to the top position however, is dependent on how India fares in its five-match series against host New Zealand, which begins on 19 January in Napier.

For Australia to become number-one:

Australia v England (Australia 3-2); New Zealand v India (New Zealand 5-0)

1 Australia 115

2 India 114

3 England 110

7 New Zealand 98

Australia v England (Australia 5-0); New Zealand v India (New Zealand 3-2)

1 Australia 119

2 India 117

5 England 106

7 New Zealand 91

Australia v England (Australia 4-1); New Zealand v India (New Zealand 4-1)

1 Australia 117

2 India 115

4 England 109

7 New Zealand 93

For England to become number-one:

Australia v England (England 4-1); New Zealand v India (New Zealand 5-0)

1 England 114

2 India 114

4 Australia 111

7 New Zealand 95

Australia v England (England 5-0); New Zealand v India (New Zealand 4-1)

1 England 117

2 India 115

4 Australia 109

7 New Zealand 93

Meanwhile, Australia batsman George Bailey in fourth position will start the series as the highest ranked batsman on either side on the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen.

Shane Watson in 11th and Michael Clarke in 12th place are the others from Australia in the top 20 of the batting table.

For England, the only batsmen in the top 20 are captain Alastair Cook in 14th and Eoin Morgan in 17th positions.

Outside the top 20, the other batsmen likely to be in action are Ian Bell (26th), Glenn Maxwell (41st), Ravi Bopara (52nd), James Faulkner (65th) and Joe Root (71st).

Pace bowler Steven Finn in third position will start the series as the highest ranked England bowler in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers. Finn is also the only England bowler in the top 20 who is likely to feature in the series.

The other bowler in the top 10 to watch out for is Australia’s Mitchell Johnson in tenth place. The only other bowler on either side inside the top 20 is Clint McKay in 12th.

Outside the top 20, the bowlers likely to play are Boyd Rankin (23rd), Stuart Broad (34th), Xavier Doherty (35th), James Tredwell (36th), Tim Bresnan (37th), Shane Watson (41st) and James Faulkner (60th).