South Africa can topple Australia at top of LG ICC ODI Championship for first time

South Africa can go top of the LG ICC ODI Championship if it beats Pakistan in the fifth and final ODI in Johannesburg on Wednesday and New Zealand has a series win over Australia in the three-match Chappell-Hadlee series which starts in Wellington on Fri

James Fitzgerald

12-Feb-2007

As ICC Cricket World Cup approaches, just seven points separate third from seventh

The Proteas currently lie just three ratings points behind Ricky Ponting's team and can now arrest the LG ICC ODI Championship shield from the Australians' grasp for the first time since the current format of the rankings was introduced in 2002.

Should South Africa beat Pakistan at the Wanderers it will move up to 128 points and if the Black Caps can win their series 3-0 or 2-1, Australia will drop to second in the LG ICC ODI Championship for the first time.

It has been a steady move upwards by South Africa in the past 12 months or so. Since it failed to reach the final of the tri-series in Australia in the 2005-6 season, it has enjoyed a remarkable turn around. Early last year, it beat Australia 3-2 in a thrilling home ODI series, with that amazing run chase of 438 coming in the final match in Johannesburg.

It also made the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy in India and since being outplayed by Australia and Sri Lanka in that 2005-6 tri-series it has won 14 ODIs and lost just five, including a 4-0 series win over India.

In a tightly packed table, there could be plenty of other movements in the LG ICC ODI Championship in the build up to the ICC Cricket World Cup in the West Indies.

New Zealand could move up to third with a good showing in the Chappell-Hadlee series while India could drop as low as sixth if it loses its two remaining ODIs in the current series with Sri Lanka.

England is another team on the move up the LG ICC ODI Championship. Winning the recent ODI tri-series with New Zealand and Australia has given the English a timely boost ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup and although it still languishes in seventh place on the table, there are signs that it is experiencing something of a resurgence.

Bangladesh will also be carrying some confidence into the next month or so as it just yesterday completed a 3-1 series win over Zimbabwe in Harare.

Just six points separate England in seventh with Pakistan in third so it is very much all to play for as teams make their final preparations for the ICC Cricket World Cup, which opens in Jamaica on 11 March.

The remaining schedule for the South Africa v Pakistan ODI series is as follows:

14 Feb - fifth ODI, Johannesburg

The remaining schedule for the India v Sri Lanka ODI series is as follows:

14 Feb - third ODI, Margao
17 Feb - fourth ODI, Visakhapatnum

The schedule for the Chappell-Hadlee (New Zealand v Australia) ODI series is as follows:

16 Feb - first ODI, Wellington
18 Feb - second ODI, Auckland
20 Feb - third ODI, Hamilton

For more information on the LG ICC ODI Championship and how the table will change depending on future results go to: https://www.icc-cricket.com/icc/odi/

James Fitzgerald is ICC Communications Officer