Tendulkar falls to 2nd in rankings

A prolific series in Bangladesh allowed South African captain Graeme Smith to dethrone Sachin Tendulkar from the top spot in the International Cricket Council's one-day batting rankings.

The left-hander was placed third in the rankings going into the three-match series against the minnows, but an aggregate of 199 runs not only won him the Player of the Series award but also earned him 39 ratings points which were enough for him to leapfrog Tendulkar as well as Australian skipper Ricky Ponting.

Smith is ranked 14th in the Test rankings and would like to lead from the front when the Proteas start a three-Test tour of India later this month.

Tendulkar's stint at the top of the batting charts lasted less than two weeks. The 35-year-old had climbed to the top following his two match-winning performances in the tri-series finals against Australia, which had pushed Ponting into second place.

India's limited overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni held on to his 10th spot, while Yuvraj Singh is 17th.

The positions are unlikely to change for another couple of months before Australia goes head-to-head with the West Indies in the five-match ODI starting in Kingston on June 21.

South African A B de Villiers is the other batsman from his team in the top 10 after he jumped six places to ninth position.

In the bowlers' rankings, South Africa's Andre Nel, omitted from the Test squad to India, climbed 10 places to sixth place. Harbhajan Singh is the highest ranked Indian bowler at 19th spot.

ICC Cricket Rankings - ODI (Top 10 batsmen)