Fifth place at stake as ODI series kicks off

South Africa and West Indies will kick off their five-match one-day series with only two points separating them in the LG ICC ODI Championship. This means that the winner of the series will almost certainly finish as the higher ranked side.

South Africa are currently fifth in the rankings with a rating of 107 and will climb above Pakistan to fourth if they win the series 4-1 or 5-0. A 3-2 win for South Africa will ensure that they hold on to fifth spot.

West Indies, currently sixth, need a whitewash if they harbour thoughts of moving higher than South Africa and Pakistan in the table. If they claim the series 4-1, they will overtake South Africa while a 3-2 win could also be enough for to move into the fifth spot if the order of the victories go their way.

As far as individual rankings go, Ramnaresh Sarwan, currently second, gets a chance to close in on Ricky Ponting, the leader, while Jacques Kallis, Graeme Smith and Brian Lara will also be looking to consolidate their positions in the top 10. Shaun Pollock is the only player from the two teams currently in the top ten of the bowlers' list but Makhaya Ntini, at 11th place, could well change that over the course of the series.

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