The heat is on for England in the LG ICC ODI Championship table

England's upcoming five-match ODI series against Pakistan is likely to have a pivotal role in deciding whether or not they will have to play in the preliminary round of next year's ICC Champions Trophy in India.

Sides outside the top six in the LG ICC ODI Championship table on 1 April 2006 will have to do just that and as England, currently in sixth spot, only have two more matches against India after this series before that cut-off date (+) it puts the importance of the next five matches into sharp focus.

It means the heat is on for Marcus Trescothick's side but their consolation is that the middle of the table is extremely tightly packed with just two points between New Zealand in seventh and India, who are fourth.

The upshot of that bunching is that a series of wins for any one of the teams in that group will see them shoot up the table and England, currently on 109 points, are no different in that regard.

For example, if they make a clean sweep of the series in Pakistan they will move into second spot with 119 points while a 4-1 success will move them above Pakistan into third position.

Even a 3-2 series win will move them above India and Sri Lanka - also currently on 109 points - and into fourth place.

Pakistan, for their part, look well placed to ensure a top six placing by next April as they currently sit in third spot and they have an added incentive to do well.

If they can record a 4-1 win or better they will overtake South Africa and move into second place in the table. A 4-1 success will move them up to 119 points while a clean sweep of the series will give them a points tally of 122.

Trescothick, captain in the absence of the injured Michael Vaughan, is his side's leading batsman in the latest LG ICC Player Rankings for batsmen.

The left-hander sits in fifth place and is one of three England players in the top 20 list, along with the middle-order powerhouses Kevin Pietersen (joint 13th) and Andrew Flintoff (15th).

Pakistan have two batsmen in the top ten with Mohammad Yousuf, who made a Test-best 223 in Lahore last week, in seventh spot while captain Inzamam-ul-Haq is 10th. All-rounder Abdul Razzaq, fit again after missing the Test series, is 34th

The top ten of the LG ICC Player Rankings for bowlers contains only one Pakistan bowler, Naved-ul-Hasan (sixth), and he is at his best-ever points tally. Shoaib Malik is 30th, Razzaq lies 34th, Mohammad Sami is 36th and Shoaib Akhtar, the scourge of England's batting in the Test series, is 41st.

For the visitors, Stephen Harmison is their top-ranked bowler in seventh place, Andrew Flintoff lies in joint 13th and James Anderson, who took England's first-ever ODI hat-trick when he played against Pakistan in 2003, is in 26th place.

Veteran fast bowler Darren Gough is 17th but he made himself unavailable for the tour and so has no chance to improve his points tally during this series.

As the Pakistan - England series begins, the New Zealand - Australia series for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy will be concluding in Christchurch.

Two matches have already taken place in that series, in Auckland and Wellington, both of them won by Australia, and they have seen significant movement in both the LG ICC ODI Championship table and also the LG ICC Player Rankings.

Perhaps the most significant mover among the players is Australia's Andrew Symonds whose156 in Wellington has catapulted him into fourth spot in the batting list with a best-ever points tally.

Like Symonds, Michael Clarke has also moved up seven places after Wednesday's match in Wellington and is now in 12th spot.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting and vice-captain Adam Gilchrist have swapped places at the top of the batting rankings while two Australians, Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee, also occupy the top spots in the bowling list.

Daniel Vettori, who has captained New Zealand in the first two matches of the series in the absence of Stephen Fleming, has moved up one place in the bowling list and now lies fifth, with his best-ever points haul.

Australia have extended their lead in the LG ICC ODI Championship table by one point thanks to their two wins and are now 19 points clear of nearest rivals South Africa.

Another win for Australia at Jade Stadium on Saturday will see that lead become 20 points and will drop New Zealand 106 points.

If New Zealand win they will move up to 109 points and level with India, Sri Lanka and England - another illustration of how tight that middle section of the table is - while Australia will drop to 135.

The schedule for the Pakistan - England ODI series is as follows:

10 December - first ODI, Lahore
12 December - second ODI, Lahore
15 December - third ODI, Karachi
19 December - fourth ODI, Rawalpindi
21 December - fifth ODI, Rawalpindi

All matches are day-night games

Full details of the current LG ICC Test Championship and how future results will impact on the table, as well as the LG ICC Player Rankings can be found here