New Zealand's record chase aids quest for top-six spot in LG ICC ODI Championship table

New Zealand's successful run-chase against Australia in Christchurch on Saturday not only ripped up the record books but also propelled them into an all-important top-six spot in the LG ICC ODI Championship table.

The Black Caps' 332-8 beat the previous record winning score batting second - the 330-7 made by Australia against South Africa in Port Elizabeth in 2002 - and also shifted them up two slots in the table to fifth.

That upward movement is significant because top-six places will become increasingly highly-prized possessions over the next four months.

The four sides below sixth spot on 1 April next year will have to take part in a preliminary round of the ICC Champions Trophy to qualify for the second stage although India, as hosts, will automatically be in that second stage no matter where they are in the table on that date.

England have also moved up the LG ICC ODI Championship table, courtesy of their victory over Pakistan in Lahore on Saturday, but the middle section of that table remains incredibly congested.

There are only two points between England, now in fourth spot, and Sri Lanka in seventh and three sides have the same points tally and are separated only by decimal places.

Australia may have lost the last match of the Chappell-Hadlee series but they still have the consolation of not only the trophy thanks to their 2-1 success but also a 17-point lead at the top of the LG ICC ODI Championship table.

And their players are also dominating the LG ICC ODI Rankings for both batsmen and bowlers.

Australia have four players in the top ten of the batting list with captain Ricky Ponting first, Adam Gilchrist second, Andrew Symonds in fifth with a career-best points tally and Michael Clarke in eighth, up 11 places during the series.

Additionally Mike Hussey, not dismissed during the three-match series with the Black Caps, is now 27th, also with a career-best tally of ranking points.

Glenn McGrath remains top of the bowling list even though he was rested for the Chappell-Hadlee series while Brett Lee is in second spot.

New Zealand's highest-placed batsman is Stephen Fleming in 26th spot while Scott Styris, whose 101 played a key role in the run-chase at Jade Stadium, has moved up two places to 36th.

Another upward mover for the Black Caps is the recalled Chris Cairns, up four places to 37th in the batting list, while Daniel Vettori, who captained the side in the three-match series, is fifth in the bowling rankings with his highest-ever points tally.

England's win in Lahore has seen Andrew Flintoff climb four places to 10th in the batting list while Kevin Pietersen lies in 11th and Andrew Strauss in 13th, the latter two players with their best-ever points tallies.

Marcus Trescothick, captaining England in this series in the absence of the injured Michael Vaughan, is his side's leading player in the LG ICC ODI Rankings for batsmen, in seventh place.

England can boast two players from the ongoing series in the top 20 places of the bowling list, Stephen Harmison in joint seventh and Flintoff in joint 14th. Flintoff is also the top ODI all-rounder by some distance.

Pakistan has two players - Mohammad Yousuf (6th) and captain Inzamam-ul-Haq (16th) - in the top 20 batting slots but only one bowler, Naved-ul-Hasan, in the top 20 of the bowling list. He is in sixth place and is close to his highest-ever points total.

Full details of the current LG ICC Test Championship and how future results will impact on the table, as well as the LG ICC Player Rankings can be found here