Pressure on Windies to win both tests

If the West Indies win both matches in the two-match home series against Bangladesh starting on Friday it will improve its rating in the ICC Test Championship by just under a point.

This positive outcome will have little impact on their position in the table but the effect on their standing if they lose one of the matches will be particularly severe.

A drawn series would see the Windies slide to 77, putting them 17 points adrift of their nearest rival Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh will be battling to maintain a positive rating. They need at least one drawn match to keep a rating of 1 point while a drawn series would boost their rating to 4 points.

The West Indies' current rating is the lowest it has been since the new system of calculation was introduced in June 2003. Under the old rating system the West Indies were never below seventh in the official table, they are currently eighth.

The ICC Test Championship table correct on 25 May 2004

Note: If ratings are equal, the ratings calculation is refined to three decimal places to determine the higher ranked team.

Full scenarios for West Indies v Bangladesh Test series:

Roshan Mahanama from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Referees will officiate on the series. These will be his first Test matches in this role.

Daryl Harper from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires will stand with Jeremy Lloyds from the Emirates International Panel in the first Test. This is Englishman Lloyds's first on-field Test appointment.

In the second Test, Lloyds will stand with Rudi Koertzen.

The official Test table is updated at the end of each series once the final outcome of the series is known. The winning team from a Test series receives bonus points equivalent to one additional match victory.

The impact future results will have on the ratings is available on the ICC website. For a full explanation of how the ratings are calculated, visit www.icc.cricket.org.

For further information: