MS Dhoni can move up to third in LG ICC Player Rankings with good performances in Afro-Asia Cup

India wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni can move up to third place in the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen if he produces some solid performances during the Afro-Asia Cup series in Bangalore and Chennai this week.

The 25-year-old is currently lying in fourth spot, just five rating points behind Australia's Mike Hussey after a good showing in the recent series against Bangladesh and if he continues that form over the next week, he will close the gap on Kevin Pietersen and Ricky Ponting at the top of the log.

The Afro-Asia Cup begins on Tuesday with a Twenty20 challenge match followed on Wednesday by the first of three ODIs. The opening match will take place at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore and the other two in Chepauk, Chennai.

The series will be a chance for another great Asian batsman, Sanath Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka, to move back up the table having just fallen three places to seventh position.

The Asia XI captain and Jayasuriya's Sri Lanka team-mate Mahela Jayawardene will be keen to continue his upward trend, having shot up six places to 13th spot in the latest rankings. He is now not far behind his career-best rating which he set back in 2001 during a home series against the West Indies.

Pakistan's Mohammad Yousuf can use this series as an opportunity to halt his slip down the rankings. He has dropped six places and is now ranked 19th overall in the ODI listings, compared to his impressive second place in the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen.

On the Africa side, Proteas captain Graeme Smith, unavailable for the Afro-Asia Cup as he recovers from knee surgery, is moving up the rankings again and is now level with Jayasuriya in seventh spot while Herschelle Gibbs now lies 14th.

There are also opportunities for emerging players to make names for themselves during this series. Zimbabwe's Elton Chigumbura is currently the highest-ranked batsman from his country at 38th place and he can improve on that position with a good showing.

In the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers there are opportunities for the likes of Thomas Odoyo and Peter Ongondo of Kenya, not to mention returning South Africa off-spinner Johan Botha who has been named in the Africa squad.

Shahid Afridi is possibly in the form of his life - certainly with the ball - and he has moved into the top 20 in the latest rankings. Although now in 18th position, he still has a long way to go to catch Shaun Pollock in top spot. Pollock is set to play in the Afro-Asia Cup as a specialist batsman following minor foot surgery.

The successful Bangladesh seam bowlers Mohammad Rafique (17th position) and Mashrafe Mortaza (19th position) will also be anxious to impress further as they bowl to top African batsmen like Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers and Steve Tikolo.

Afridi is also making the right sort of moves in the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders, having moved up three places to seventh position in the latest release. He now has New Zealand's Scott Styris in his sights although Pollock still leads from Jacques Kallis in second and West Indies' Chris Gayle in third.

Afro-Asia Cup upcoming fixtures:

5 June - Twenty20 challenge match Asia XI v Africa XI, Bangalore
6 June - first ODI Asia XI v Africa XI, Bangalore
9 June - second ODI Asia XI v Africa XI, Chennai
10 June - third ODI Asia XI v Africa XI, Chennai