Australia top seed for Champions Trophy

Australia have been confirmed as the top seed for this year's ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan after the completion of the league matches of the CB Series in Melbourne on Friday. Australia, the current holders of the Champions Trophy, will top the ICC one-day international rankings on the March 12 cut-off date irrespective of how they fare against India in the best-of-three finals over the next week.

South Africa, who won the inaugural Champions Trophy in 1998, will be seeded second, followed by New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England and West Indies. The groupings will be announced on March 12.

If India manage to seal the CB Series in the first two games, Australia will drop to 127 points but will remain fractionally ahead of South Africa. If they beat India with a match to spare Australia will go to 132 points. India will, in this scenario, remain on 110 points. A 2-1 win for Australia would put them on 130 points while India would return home on 111.

Sri Lanka's consolation 13-run win over the hosts in Melbourne ensured they did not slip in the rankings. A loss would have caused them to stumble to seventh place with England moving up to sixth. The Champions Trophy is scheduled to be hosted by Pakistan in September and October.