Sri Lanka must win 3-0 to overtake England
Sri Lanka may have overtaken England in the official ICC One Day International standings by virtue of a rain-affected 1-0 series victory, but it will need to win all three matches in the forthcoming Test series to repeat this feat in the ICC Test
ICC Media Release
28-Nov-2003
Sri Lanka may have overtaken England in the official ICC One Day International standings by virtue of a rain-affected 1-0 series victory, but it will need to win all three matches in the forthcoming Test series to repeat this feat in the ICC Test Championship, stating in Galle on 2 December.
Sri Lanka goes into the three-Test series in seventh place in the official Test standings with a rating of 91, four places and 13 points behind England. Over the course of 2003 Sri Lanka has slipped down the ratings, winning only two of its last 11 Test matches with both victories coming at home against Bangladesh.
It does, however, have a formidable home record, losing only one of 14 home Tests since England last toured in February and March 2001.
A 3-0 series victory would boost Sri Lanka's rating to 99 which - with a commensurate negative impact on England's rating - would be enough for the hosts to overtake their visitors in the official table by less than a point.
To climb the table at all, Sri Lanka must win the series at least 1-0.
England's recent 2-0 series victory in Bangladesh lifted it to third in the official Test ratings for the first time since November 2001.
With New Zealand less than a point behind, England will need to win in Sri Lanka to guarantee holding on to third position. A 1-0 series win will increase England's rating from 104 to 106 while a 3-0 victory would lift them to 108 - within three points of South Africa.
A series draw or defeat will see England's rating and position in
the table both fall.
The ICC Test Championship table correct on 28 November 2003
| Team | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 130 |
| 2 | South Africa | 111 |
| 3 | England | 104 |
| 4 | New Zealand | 104 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 98 |
| 6 | India | 95 |
| 7 | Sri Lanka | 91 |
| 8 | West Indies | 83 |
| 9 | Zimbabwe | 56 |
| 10 | Bangladesh | 0 |
Developed by David Kendix
Note: If ratings are equal, the ratings calculation is refined to three decimal places to determine the higher ranked team.
Full scenarios for Sri Lanka v England Test series:
| Sri Lanka | England | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current rating: | 91 | 104 | ||
| Possible series outcomes: | ||||
| Sri Lanka wins by 3 Tests (3-0) | 99 | 99 | ||
| Sri Lanka wins by 2 Tests (2-0) | 98 | 100 | ||
| Sri Lanka wins by 1 Test (2-1, 1-0) | 96 | 101 | ||
| Series drawn (0-0, 1-1) | 93 | 103 | ||
| England wins by 1 Test (1-0,2-1) | 89 | 106 | ||
| England wins by 2 Tests (2-0) | 88 | 107 | ||
| England wins by 3 Tests (3-0) | 86 | 108 | ||
Clive Lloyd from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Referees will officiate on the series. Srinivas Venkataraghavan and Daryl Harper from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires will stand in the first Test with Aleem Dar accompanying Harper in the second Test and Steve Bucknor standing with Dar in the final Test.
The impact future results will have on the ratings is available on the official ICC website. For a full explanation of how the ratings are calculated, visit www.icc.cricket.org.
ICC media contacts:
| Brendan McClements | Jon Long |
| General Manager - Corporate Affairs | Project Officer - Corporate Affairs |
| Mobile: + 44 (0) 7786 194974 | Mobile: + 44 (0) 7946 545090 |
| E Mail: jon.long@icc-cricket.com |