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Australia extends lead at top of ICC ODI rankings

Australia's 11 match unbeaten run on the way to retaining the ICC Cricket World Cup has extended its lead at the top of the ICC ODI Championship table to 13 points

Australia's 11 match unbeaten run on the way to retaining the ICC Cricket World Cup has extended its lead at the top of the ICC ODI Championship table to 13 points.
At the end of 2002, Australia's rating was only five higher than its closest rival South Africa but an unprecedented run of 17 consecutive victories has opened up a record gap.
Its rating of 136 - four more than it was at the start of the tournament - is the highest ranking recorded since the ICC ODI Championship was launched in October 2002.
It means that as well as taking home the ICC Cricket World Cup trophy, Australia also retains the ICC ODI Championship Shield that Ricky Ponting first collected from ICC President Malcolm Gray at the Sydney Cricket Ground in December 2003.
India were unable to match Australia at the Wanderers but progression to the final helped boost its rating by four, pulling Sourav Ganguly's team away from West Indies, New Zealand and England.
With Pakistan and Sri Lanka's ratings both falling, India has moved to within striking distance of third place in the table.
Kenya has been the biggest beneficiary from the tournament, increasing its rating by 10. Victories over Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe have seen Kenya open up a gap of 24 ratings points from Bangladesh at the bottom of the table.
ICC ODI Championship Table (correct at the end of the ICC CWC 2003)

Ranking  Team          Pld    Rating (Rating on 8th Feb 2003)
1        Australia      46     136           (132)
2        South Africa   53     123           (126)
3        Pakistan       45     110           (114)
4        Sri Lanka      57     108           (110)
5        India          54     103            (99)
6        West Indies    35      99            (99)
7        New Zealand    45      98            (97)
8        England        34      98            (98)
9        Zimbabwe       40      63            (66)
10       Kenya          22      30            (20)
11       Bangladesh     19       6            (10)
Developed by David Kendix
How the ICC ODI rankings work:
The formula used by the ICC to determine ranking positions takes into account the following factors:
- results from all ODI matches played over the previous two to three years
- strength of opposition, with greater reward for beating higher ranked opponents
- greater importance is placed on more recent results, with older matches dropped every 12 months
- all matches have equal status, with no account taken of venue or margin of victory
For the full formula visit www.icc.cricket.org.
Media Contacts:
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Mark Harrison: 083 417 5492
In England:
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jon.long@icc-cricket.com