World's top two bowlers in LG ICC Player Rankings go head-to-head in Sri Lanka - South Africa series

The world's top two Test bowlers in the LG ICC Player Rankings, Muttiah Muralidaran and Makhaya Ntini, are set to go head-to-head when Sri Lanka's series against South Africa gets underway at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in Colombo on Thursday 27 July.

Spin wizard Muralidaran currently tops the bowling list and this two-match clash gives him the chance to extend his advantage and also reduce the gap of 50 wickets between himself and leading Test wicket-taker Shane Warne.

But pace bowler Ntini, rested and raring to go after a break following an outstanding 2005/06 season, is hunting down Muralidaran at the top of the rankings.

And if the South African can repeat the form that brought him 48 wickets in just eight Tests in 2005/06 then he has every chance of not only closing in on top spot but also helping his depleted side to a famous series win.

That, of course, will be easier said than done as South Africa is without its regular captain Graeme Smith and vice-captain Jacques Kallis, both injured, as well as all-rounder Shaun Pollock, who is missing the first Test after the birth of his second child.

How much of a hole that trio leaves is clearly illustrated by the LG ICC Player Rankings as Kallis (4th) and Smith (18th) are South Africa's only batsmen inside the top 20, while Pollock lies 12th in the bowling list and third in the all-rounder table, a table topped by Kallis.

In their absence, Herschelle Gibbs is the side's highest ranked batsman, in joint 25th place alongside injured England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff.

Below Gibbs come A.B. de Villiers (33rd), acting captain Ashwell Prince (37th) and Jacques Rudolph (60th) and all three will have to perform exceptionally well to fill the vacuum left by Smith and Kallis.

The batting list is currently headed by Australia's Ricky Ponting, clear of India's Rahul Dravid and Inzamam-ul-Haq of Pakistan.

Ntini is joined in the bowling top 20 by team-mate Andre Nel (14th) while, below that duo comes spinner Nicky Boje (41st).

South Africa's absentees will no doubt help Sri Lanka feel confident ahead of this series but the home side has other reasons to be upbeat.

It comes into the matches off the back of a successful tour of England and the Netherlands where, despite the absence of captain Marvan Atapattu with a long-term back injury, it drew the Test series 1-1 and won the all seven ODIs it played.

With Atapattu still sidelined, Sri Lanka will once again be led by Mahela Jayawardene, one of two players in the line-up in the top 20 of the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen.

Jayawardene lies 19th in that list while Sri Lanka's highest ranked batsman is Kumar Sangakkara in 11th spot. Below that duo come Tillakaratne Dilshan (23rd), the rejuvenated Sanath Jayasuriya (38th) and Atapattu (39th).

Muralitharan is joined in the bowling top 10 by evergreen seam and swing bowler Chaminda Vaas, joint 10th in the list alongside the West Indies' Corey Collymore.

Below them is Lasith Malinga, in 32nd place. The diminutive quick bowler performed impressively on the recent tour of England and the Netherlands and will have fond memories of facing South Africa.

It was in the corresponding series three years ago, at the SSC, that Malinga (together with Vaas) terrorized South Africa's batsmen when Sri Lanka won the Test and the series thanks to a comprehensive 313-run win.

Home supporters will be hoping for something similar this time; Prince and his team-mates will have other ideas.

The schedule for the Sri Lanka - South Africa Test series is as follows:

27 - 31 July - first Test, Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo
4 - 8 August - second Test, P.Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo

The two sides are battling for fifth place in the LG ICC Test Championship table with Sri Lanka currently holding that spot.

The table reflects the annual update, scheduled for 1 August, because no series are due to conclude before that date. The update is carried out to ensure it continues to reflect recent form with older results being discarded.

The new table no longer reflects series concluded before 1 August 2003.

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