Pietersen falls off top spot in LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen

England's Kevin Pietersen has slipped off the top of the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen following a relatively disappointing series against the West Indies.

In three ODIs, the 27-year-old scored just 42 runs at an average of 14 and, such is the competitive nature of the rankings, that was enough to knock him off top spot. His place is taken by Australia captain Ricky Ponting with no one currently enjoying a rating in excess of the 800-point mark.

Pietersen is still in second place from Mike Hussey of Australia in third, and the England star can regain the lead with a good series against India in August and September.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni continues his progress up the rankings and is now fifth overall. The wicketkeeper-batsman, who turned 26 on Saturday, has moved past the injured West Indies captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, who was unable to take any part in the three-match ODI series in England.

Meanwhile, Shivnarine Chanderpaul has moved up four places to 13th following a remarkable series where he scored 202 in three matches and was dismissed just once.

Chanderpaul was named as player of the series for his efforts as the West Indies won the series 2-1 and closed the gap on England in the LG ICC ODI Championship to just one point.

Australia still leads the table on 130 points, with South Africa eight points back and there are only four points between New Zealand (113) in third position and India (109) in sixth.

The West Indies will have the opportunity to heap further pressure on England as it travels to Ireland to take part in a quadrangular series with the Netherlands and Scotland as well as the host team in Dublin and Belfast. A win over Ireland on 14 July will edge them even closer to Paul Collingwood's team, which lies in seventh position.

With every game in that quadrangular series carrying ODI status, there is an opportunity for the players from those top Associates, as well as the West Indies, to make moves up the rankings.

That means the likes of Scotland's Ryan Watson, Ireland's Kevin O'Brien and Darron Reekers of the Netherlands will be hoping to make advances in the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen while Majid Haq of Scotland, Kyle McCallan of Ireland and the Netherlands' Billy Stelling will want to make progress in the bowlers' equivalent.

Also, Scotland can join its Associate rivals Kenya and Ireland on the LG ICC ODI Championship table if it beats the West Indies in Dublin on 12 July. Already boasting the requisite win rate in excess of 60 per cent against the top Associates, the Scots will secure a place on the main table by beating a Full Member.

Indeed, the Netherlands will also move up to the main table if it beats the West Indies in Dublin on 10 July and Ireland in Belfast the following day as it will then have the 60 per cent win rate against Associates plus the win over a Full Member required to gain that promotion.

With the West Indies one-day side on a high after Saturday's victory over England, fast bowler Daren Powell is also celebrating breaking into the top 20 of the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers for the first time.

The 29-year-old Jamaican has moved up 12 places to 19th position following a number of good performances, not least the 4-40 he took in the third ODI against England at Trent Bridge.

There is very little other movement in the top 20 of the ODI bowling rankings with South Africa's Shaun Pollock still out in front from Nathan Bracken of Australia in second position and Shane Bond of New Zealand in third spot.

With Pollock enjoying a rating points tally of 876 it is interesting to note he is the only player - bowler or batsman - currently standing on more than 800 points. Nine of the current top 20 batsmen have, at some point in their careers, reached that milestone but none is there at present.

Dwayne Bravo is up four places to 13th in the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders but there is no change in the top five with Pollock still comfortably on top with team-mate Jacques Kallis in second position and Chris Gayle of the West Indies third.