South Africa and Australia go head-to-head in battle for top spot in LG ICC ODI Championship table

South Africa can secure top spot in the LG ICC ODI Championship table on the 1 April cut-off date if it beats Australia in the final Group A match in the ICC Cricket World Cup clash in St Kitts on Saturday.

Graeme Smith's side is currently three rating points clear of Australia, its closest rivals, in the table and if it wins this weekend that margin will stretch to five points, a gap that Australia cannot claw back before the cut-off date.

The date is significant because the side that leads the ladder on 1 April receives US$175,000 for its achievement, while the side that lies second collects US$75,000.

Australia will retain a chance of regaining the leadership of the table if it can win at Warner Park as that result would cut the margin between the two sides to less than one rating point with South Africa only retaining its lead when the totals are re-calculated to three decimal places.

And that would mean the issue of which side tops the LG ICC ODI Championship table on 1 April going right to the wire with South Africa's match against either Sri Lanka or Bangladesh in Guyana (28 March) and Australia's two matches with the West Indies (27 March) and either India or Bangladesh (31 March), both in Antigua, potentially significant in deciding the outcome.

The financial reward is part of the equation for both sides going into the weekend clash but just as important, if not more so, is the psychological advantage there to be gained ahead of a series of crunch games in the Caribbean.

And an additional fact to consider is that whichever side wins on Saturday will take forward the two points it gains into the Super Eights stage of the ICC Cricket World Cup, a significant advantage in the battle for places in the semi-finals of the tournament.

Smith's side assumed first place from Australia last month following an outstanding run of results over the past year, which saw the team win 15 of its 21 matches ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup.

It is the first time a side has overtaken Australia in the LG ICC ODI Championship table since the listings began in October 2002.

South Africa's reward for its achievement was to recieve the LG ICC ODI Championship shield in Johannesburg as the squad prepared to fly to the Caribbean for a tilt at the ICC Cricket World Cup, a prize that has eluded the side since its return to international cricket just over 15 years ago.

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