Pakistan drops to fifth as Sri Lanka makes presence felt again

Black Caps benefit from Pakistan’s misfortune in Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship

Pakistan has slipped one place in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table following its 2-1 series defeat at home to Sri Lanka.

Although Shoaib Malik’s team won the first ODI of the series in Karachi thanks to a brilliant unbeaten century by Salman Butt, it then proceeded to lose the second and third matches after impressive displays by the visitor.

That means Pakistan loses three ratings points and drops below New Zealand into fifth place on the table.

For its part, Sri Lanka has gained two ratings points from that series and as a result stays in seventh position but it is now just one point behind England in sixth spot.

With a five-match ODI series coming up against India beginning on Wednesday there is every chance Mahela Jayawardena and his men can make further progress if they continue their good form against Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team.

Sri Lanka is a team with a proud one-day pedigree having won the ICC Cricket World Cup in 1996 and was runner-up the last time around in the West Indies. During that event in April 2007 it was ranked as high as fourth in the world so no doubt the players will feel they belong further up that ladder than seventh.

Meanwhile, despite winning the series against Zimbabwe 2-1 Bangladesh lost one ratings point to 46 but has maintained its place in ninth position in the rankings. Zimbabwe is now just two ratings points behind 10th-placed Ireland having gained a point from that series.

There will be plenty of opportunities for change at the bottom of the table with Zimbabwe heading to 12th-placed Kenya for a five ODI series beginning in Mombasa on Tuesday.

Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship (as of 25 January)

(Developed by David Kendix)

Note to editors: A preview of the Sri Lanka v India and Kenya v Zimbabwe ODI series including the effect those matches could have on the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship and Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings will be issued tomorrow (Monday). Previews of other upcoming series will be sent out in due course.

For information on the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings go to www.iccreliancerankings.com.