Pakistan must avoid defeat to stay fourth in LG ICC Test Championship

Pakistan must win both matches of its two Test match away series against West Indies to climb to within three points of India in the LG ICC Test Championship.

The middle places in the official Test table are hotly contested at present. Pakistan, currently fourth with a rating of 102, is only two points clear of Sri Lanka and South Africa, both on 100 points.

If Pakistan draws the series in the Caribbean its rating will fall to 100. It will retain a slender lead over South Africa and Sri Lanka when the ratings are recalculated to three decimal places.

If Pakistan loses to West Indies, this will bring New Zealand into the equation. A 2-0 defeat would see Pakistan slide to seventh in the table behind the Kiwis while a 1-0 defeat would leave both sides on 97 points with Pakistan holding sixth place by the narrowest of margins.

A 26 point gap has opened up between West Indies in eighth and New Zealand in seventh. A 2-0 home win would trim this gap to 19 points.

Brian Lara's return for West Indies after being rested for the ODI series gives him an opportunity to reclaim top spot in the LG ICC Test Batting Rankings. His captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul, currently 13th, will be looking to break into the top 10. On the bowling front, Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneira (11th) will also be looking to improve his ranking.

For details of the LG ICC Test Championship visit the Test cricket page of the ICC website