England retains No.2 spot on Reliance ICC ODI Championship

England’s 2-1 win in the three-match series against New Zealand has not only given it a perfect build-up to the ICC Champions Trophy 2013, which is just 100 days away, but has also kept it on course for finishing second in the Reliance ICC ODI Championship Table at 1 April cut-off date.

England’s come-from-behind series win means it has retained second place but has dropped two ratings points to now lead third-ranked Australia by just one ratings point and fourth-ranked South Africa by five ratings points. India has taken an outright lead on top of the table with 119 ratings points.

With India and Australia not scheduled to play any ODIs before the cut-off date, South Africa is the only side that can push India and England down the order when it takes on Pakistan in a five-ODI series from 10 March.

The only way South Africa can leapfrog England and add another US$ 75,000 to its account is by beating Pakistan 4-1 or better. If South Africa wins 4-1, the Proteas will join England on 117 ratings points but will be ranked above Alastair Cook’s side when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point.

If South Africa makes a clean sweep of the ODI series, then it will jump three places to claim top spot, which, in turn will mean it will win US$ 175,000 as well as the ODI shield. These two are presented to the side that tops the ODI table on 1 April cut-off date.

The ODI and T20I Championship tables, unlike the Test Championship Table, are updated after every match.

Reverting to the New Zealand-England ODI series, this was the penultimate series for both sides before they meet again in England in May as a precursor to the ICC Champions Trophy 2013, which will be staged from 6 to 23 June in England and Wales.

The two sides will then meet again during the group stage of the ICC Champions Trophy 2013. Group A of the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 includes defending champion Australia, 2000 winner New Zealand and 2002 champion Sri Lanka, along with host England, which reached the final when it last staged the event in 2004.

Sides in Group B are 1998 winner South Africa, 2004 champion West Indies, 2002 winner India, and Pakistan.

The tournament opener at the ICC Champions Trophy will feature two former winners, when South Africa takes on India in Cardiff on 6 June. The following day, West Indies will face Pakistan at The Oval.

The semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 will be staged at The Oval (19 June) and in Cardiff (20 June), while Edgbaston will be the venue of the final, to be played on 23 June.

Brendon McCullum back among top 10 ODI batsmen

Meanwhile, New Zealand Captain Brendon McCullum has returned to the top 10 of the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen after scoring 222 runs in the three-match series against England. McCullum has moved up 16 places to ninth, thereby also achieving a career-best, 685 ratings points.

Also breaking into the top 20 is former New Zealand Captain Ross Taylor. The right-handed batsman has jumped four places to 13th in the latest rankings, which were released on Monday after the ODI series between England and New Zealand and the first two ODIs between West Indies and Zimbabwe.

The most impressive gain in the batting table is England’s Joe Root, who has jumped 61 places to 55th.

The batting table is still headed by South Africa’s Hashim Amla, followed by his captain AB de Villiers in second place and India’s Virat Kohli in third place.

In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, England fast bowler Steven Finn has jumped two places to third with a best-ever, 755 ratings points.

The only other England bowler to move upwards in the top 20 is England’s James Anderson. Anderson was the highest wicket-taker in the three-match series against New Zealand with seven scalps, and he moved up nine places to 11th.

The bowlers’ table is still headed by Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal. West Indies’ Sunil Narine has moved up a place to second with a career-best, 766 ratings points.

The Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders is still headed by Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez, with Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan in second place and Shane Watson of Australia in third.