LG ICC Player Rankings indicates that it's all to play for ahead of ICC Cricket World Cup semi-finals

Eight of the top 11 players in the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen are from teams involved in the semi-finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007.

Of the top 10 only Kevin Pietersen, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Mahendra Singh Dhoni will not be in St Lucia or Jamaica on Tuesday and Wednesday for the penultimate stage of the competition.

Sri Lanka opener Sanath Jayasuriya has moved up to third position following his run of good form while there have also been moves in the right direction for Sarwan of the West Indies, AB de Villiers and Herschelle Gibbs of South Africa and Australians Matthew Hayden and Michael Clarke. Hayden has moved up one place to seventh spot and is enjoying his highest ODI rating for nearly three years following his third century of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 against New Zealand on Friday.

England's Pietersen is still on top spot, closely followed by Australia captain Ricky Ponting in second. Sarwan's good showing in the Super Eight stage of the tournament has propelled him up no fewer than 10 places to sixth.

Australia holds the advantage in the batting department though with four players currently featuring in the top 10.

There is an interesting symmetry about the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers with each team left in the tournament represented by two players in the top eight. Indeed, each side has a bowler in the top four and another in the fifth to eighth spot.

South Africa's Shaun Pollock is still way out in front but he is slowly being caught by Shane Bond and the latest Australian fast bowler to make a challenge, Nathan Bracken. The 29-year-old New South Welshman has moved past his team-mate Glenn McGrath and now occupies third spot.

Another Australian to have an excellent tournament so far is Brad Hogg. He has moved up nine places to 14th in the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers (and 19 places since the World Cup began), the highest ranking of his career. Hogg's team-mate Shaun Tait is also in impressive form, having moved up 66 places since the start of the tournament, into the top 50 for the first time.

It has been a good few weeks for South African pace duo of Andrew Hall and Andre Nel. Hall is up five places to 12th position while Nel has gone up eight places to 11th, giving the Proteas a statistical edge in the bowling department going into their semi-final showdown with Australia in St Lucia.

And with Jacques Kallis in such good form, Graeme Smith's team can take plenty of confidence from the latest rankings. Kallis is now up three places to second in the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders, just one place behind team-mate Pollock.