Pakistan's defeat moves India into third place in LG ICC ODI Championship table

Pakistan's defeat at the hands of England on Sunday has cost it more than just a series win against the home side; it has also dropped it below India and into fourth place in the LG ICC ODI Championship table.

The three-wicket loss at Edgbaston, which means England and Pakistan's five-match clash ended 2-2 with one match abandoned because of rain, has dropped the rating of Inzamam-ul-Haq's side from 114 points to 111.

With Rahul Dravid's line-up standing on 113, India has now moved ahead of its local rivals.

Pakistan now has the same number of points as fifth-placed New Zealand but is ranked higher than the Black Caps when the ratings are recalculated to three decimal places.

India is ten rating points behind second-placed South Africa and 18 behind leaders and world champions Australia.

India's next action is against Ricky Ponting's side and the West Indies, led by Brian Lara, in a tri-series that starts in Malaysia on Tuesday.

If India wins its next four matches, in that tri-series, it will lift its rating to 119 points, closing the gap on South Africa in the process.

England, meanwhile, has at last regained some winning momentum thanks to its two successive wins against Pakistan following a run of eight matches without a victory.

Those wins have not been enough to lift England up the LG ICC ODI Championship table - it is still in eighth position - but they have seen Andrew Strauss's side draw level with the West Indies, directly above it.

Pakistan still has two players in the top 20 spots of the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen. Mohammad Yousuf lies in 16th place while Inzamam is two positions further back. Younis Khan, who made a century in his side's victory in the third match of its series with England, is in 41st place.

There is only one Pakistan player in the top 20 bowling places, Naved-ul-Hasan. However, returning from a long-term groin injury, he has struggled for form and has dropped six spots to 19th position.

Mohammad Asif, perhaps Pakistan's most impressive bowler in the ODI series with England, has been rewarded for his performances with a 39-place rise to 31st position in the listing.

For England, Kevin Pietersen is its only batsman in the top 20 and he remains unchanged in eighth place. Below him, Marcus Trescothick has slipped out of the top 20 - he lies in 21st spot - while Strauss is 27th in the list.

England leading performer in the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers is Stephen Harmison, in 16th spot, although he missed the series against Pakistan with a back injury. Andrew Flintoff, also missing as he recovers from an ankle injury, lies 20th in the list.

The tri-series in Malaysia pits three impressive one-day line-ups against each other and all have stars set to be on show.

Just look at Australia, for example. It has five men in the top 14 places of the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen with Adam Gilchrist topping that list ahead of Ponting (3rd), Andrew Symonds (5th), Michael Hussey (6th) and Michael Clarke (14th).

On top of that it also has four bowlers in the top 20 of that table led by seam and swing bowlers Glenn McGrath (3rd), Brett Lee (5th) and Nathan Bracken (6th), along with left-arm wrist spinner Brad Hogg (17th).

India has four batsmen in the top 20 - Mahendra Singh Dhoni (4th), Yuvraj Singh (9th), Dravid (12th) and Virender Sehwag (19th). And just outside that grouping is Sachin Tendulkar (23rd), now fully fit again after shoulder surgery.

With the ball, left-arm seam and swing bowler Irfan Pathan lies in seventh spot, spinner Harbhajan Singh is joint ninth (along with South Africa's Makhaya Ntini) while medium-pacer Ajit Agarkar shares 11th spot with Muttiah Muralidaran of Sri Lanka.

The West Indies, which will be defending its ICC Champions Trophy title in India next month, has Ramnaresh Sarwan in second place in the batting rankings with Chris Gayle in 11th spot. Lara is in 32nd position.

The Caribbean side's bowlers are led by Ian Bradshaw, currently eighth in the list. The left-armer is his team's only representative in the top 20.

The LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers is topped by Shaun Pollock of South Africa, clear of New Zealand's Shane Bond, McGrath and left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori, also of New Zealand.

The all-rounder list is also headed by Pollock, clear of Gayle (who is also 29th in the bowling list) and Flintoff.

The fixtures for the Malaysia tri-series are as follows:

12 Sept - Australia v West Indies
14 Sept - India v West Indies
16 Sept - Australia v India
18 Sept - Australia v West Indies
20 Sept - India v West Indies
22 Sept - Australia v India
24 Sept - Final

All matches take place in Kuala Lumpur.

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