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India, Australia battle for ODI top spot ahead of World Cup

January 14, 2015 12:10 IST

Virat Kohli (left) with Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Photograph: BCCI

Australia and India will have the chance to put daylight between one another at the top of the Intenational Cricket Council ODI team rankings, when they compete alongside England in a tri-series, which starts in Sydney on Friday.

- Meet India's 15-member World Cup squad

Australia will be keen to edge a point clear of India at the top of the One-Day International team rankings when they clash with England in the opening match at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday.

It will be a dress rehearsal for the eagerly anticipated Cricket World Cup 2015 opening match, which will see the same sides play each other in exactly 30 days' time in Melbourne.

Following its 5-0 home series victory over Sri Lanka in November, reigning champion India will be bidding to gain further momentum and become only the third side in World Cup history to successfully defend its title after West Indies in 1975 and 1979 and Australia, who won the coveted prize three times in succession between 1999 and 2007.

- ICC World Cup schedule

Meanwhile, South Africa is bidding to lift the 50-over title for the first time after reaching the semi-finals when Australia and New Zealand last hosted the World Cup back in 1992.

The Proteas will welcome West Indies to Durban on Friday in the first of a five-match ODI series, which will feature two of the world's top three batsmen in the ICC Player Rankings for ODI Batsmen.

South Africa captain AB de Villiers is in pole position in the batting rankings on 887 points, a good 25 points clear off second-placed India batsman Virat Kohli, with Hashim Amla one place further back in third.

There are several permutations that could emerge over the coming weeks as New Zealand and Sri Lanka are also battling it out in their seven-match series, with the Black Caps currently holding a 1-0 lead after its three-wicket victory in the first ODI on Sunday.

After this series, New Zealand will complete its World Cup preparations when it plays host to Pakistan – who lifted the trophy back in 1992 - in two ODIs ahead of its opening game of the tournament in Christchurch against Sri Lanka, also on February 14.

Reliance ICC ODI Team Rankings (as on 14 January):

1 Australia 117
2 India 117
3 South Africa 112
4 Sri Lanka 109
5 England 104
6 New Zealand 99
7 Pakistan 97
8 West Indies 96
9 Bangladesh 75
10 Zimbabwe 53
11 Ireland 39
12 Afghanistan 38

Reliance ICC ODI Player Rankings for Batsmen:

Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
1 AB de Villiers SA 887 51.50 891 v Aus at Melbourne 2014
2 Virat Kohli Ind 862 52.61 886 v Ban at Fatullah 2014
3 Hashim Amla SA 828 53.18 901 v Eng at Trent Bridge 2012
4 K. Sangakkara SL 801 40.53 853 v Afg at Mirpur 2014
5 Shikhar Dhawan Ind 777 45.46 785 v SL at Hyderabad 2014
6 George Bailey Aus 771 44.20 867 v SA at Harare 2014
7 Quinton de Kock SA 749*! 43.58 749 v Aus at Sydney 2014
8= MS Dhoni Ind 738 52.85 836 v Aus at Delhi 2009
8= T. Dilshan SL 738 38.23 767 v Pak at Sharjah 2013
10 K. Williamson NZ 734 42.91 746 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2014
11 Ross Taylor NZ 718 41.26 722 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2014
12 Joe Root Eng 688! 41.61 688 v SL at Colombo 2014
13 Angelo Mathews SL 680 40.32 707 v Eng at Colombo 2014
14 Misbah-ul-Haq Pak 658 42.83 744 v SL at Fatullah 2014
15 F. du Plessis SA 657 34.40 703 v NZ at Bay Oval 2014
16= Rohit Sharma Ind 651 37.89 672 v WI at Kochi 2013
16= Aaron Finch Aus 651*! 37.25 651 v SA at Sydney 2014
18 Ahmed Shehzad Pak 649 34.81 670 v Ban at Mirpur 2014
19 Shane Watson Aus 648 40.75 773 v SL at Hambantota 2011
20 Suresh Raina Ind 639 35.82 669 v Eng at Dharamsala 2013

Reliance ICC ODI Player Rankings for Bowlers:

Rank Player Team Points Ave Econ HS Rating
1 Sunil Narine WI 753 26.49 4.10 791 v SL at Jamaica 2013
2 Saeed Ajmal Pak 751 22.18 4.13 810 v SA at Centurion 2013
3 Dale Steyn SA 699 25.65 4.83 746 v Ind at Durban 2013
4= Shakib Al Hasan Ban 680 27.92 4.26 717 v Zim at Chittagong 2009
4= M. Johnson Aus 680 25.72 4.82 724 v Ban at Darwin 2008
6 James Anderson Eng 666 29.10 4.94 719 v SA at The Oval 2013
7 S. Senanayake SL 656! 32.00 4.56 656 v NZ at Christchurch 2015
8 B. Kumar Ind 641 36.59 4.60 657 v WI at Dharamsala 2014
9 Ravindra Jadeja Ind 638 32.29 4.79 738 v Zim at Bulawayo 2013
10 M. Hafeez Pak 634 35.01 4.06 769 v Ind at Kolkata 2013
11 Morne Morkel SA 632 24.27 4.94 717 v SL at East London 2012
12 James Tredwell Eng 629 27.81 4.77 646 v SL at Pallekele 2014
13 Clint McKay Aus 624 24.37 4.78 709 v Eng at Cardiff 2013
14= Rangana Herath SL 617 31.13 4.42 703 v SA at Pallekele 2013
14= R. Ashwin Ind 617 32.46 4.89 691 v SL at Hambantota 2012
16 M. Irfan Pak 616 29.51 4.85 621 v NZ at Abu Dhabi 2014
17 L. Tsotsobe SA 613 24.96 4.75 743 v NZ at Auckland 2012
18 Shahid Afridi Pak 611 33.89 4.62 673 v Ban at Mirpur 2011
19 M. Shami Ind 609 26.08 5.74 636 v WI at Delhi 2014
20 Kemar Roach WI 608 26.85 4.90 650 v Pak at St Lucia 2013

Reliance ICC ODI Player Rankings for All-rounders:

Rank Player Team Points HS Rating
1 Shakib Al Hasan Ban 403 453 v Zim at Chittagong 2009
2 M Hafeez Pak 397 438 v Ind at Kolkata 2013
3 Angelo Mathews SL 395 427 v Eng at Colombo (RPS) 2014
4 T Dilshan SL 390! 390 v NZ at Christchurch 2015
5 Shahid Afridi Pak 340 383 v Ban at Mirpur 2011