da mrbet： Australia may have lost their No.1 ranking in ODIs to South Africa after their 39-run defeat in Perth, but they have an opportunity to reclaim that position when their five-ODI series against New Zealand gets underway
Cricinfo staff30-Jan-2009Australia may have lost their No.1 ranking in ODIs to South Africa after their 39-run defeat in Perth, but they have an opportunity to reclaim that position quickly when their five-match ODI series against New Zealand gets underway.South Africa went ahead by a fraction of a point after winning the series 4-1, but a victory in the first ODI against New Zealand in Perth, on Sunday, will be enough to push Australia to the top. Australia are still the top Test team, enjoying a five-point lead over South Africa despite losing the Test series 2-1 this summer.South Africa are back at the top for the first time since April 2008 and held the position for a brief period. The gap between the top three sides is steadily narrowing, with India also in the picture. They are currently five points behind South Africa and Australia in the ODI rankings and a series victory against Sri Lanka will push them further towards the top.Meanwhile, Zimbabwe have also made progress, moving up one place to tenth after winning the opening two matches of the five-ODI series in Kenya.
South Africa34 4245 125 Australia 334113 125 India 42 5022120 New Zealand 27 3041 113 Pakistan 31 3446 111 England32 3469 108 Sri Lanka 394125 106 West Indies 27 246391 Bangladesh 38 1731 46 Zimbabwe 29 585 20 Ireland10 190 19 Kenya 911 1