Dubai, July 14: With the No. 1 position in Test cricket at stake, England and India have a lot to play for in the upcoming series starting July 21 at cricket’s capital, Lord’s.
An ICC media release today stated that England would go on to the No. 1 position in the Reliance ICC Test Championship if they beat India by a margin of at least two Tests in the upcoming four-match series. Although they are currently in third position on the table, Andrew Strauss’s team will leap above South Africa and India to take pole position if they finish the series 3-1 or 2-0.
According to the latest tabulations following the annual update*, England will lead the table by three ratings points if they wins the series by two clear matches. In that scenario, India would hold on to second position with South Africa slipping to third. If the home team were to sweep the series 4-0, India would drop to third place.
A 1-0 or 2-1 series win for England would put their rating level with India's but India will still be on top by a fraction of a point. A drawn series (0-0, 1-1 or 2-2) will ensure India stay six points clear at the top but with England edging ahead of South Africa into second position.
An India series win will see them stretch their lead at the top of the table, leaving England lying in third place.
Speaking ahead of the tantalising series, ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said, “As we all prepare to celebrate the staging of the 2000th Test match, one cannot imagine it to be any better than between two of the top teams in a series that carries with it the battle for top spot on in the rankings. That is great context and we will enhance that with the ICC World Test Championship in future.
“Test cricket is the pinnacle form of the game and we will continue to protect and promote it above all. It is our link to the game’s origins, it is what defines greatness and it is recognised by the players as being the benchmark by which they wish to be graded and remembered. History has proven that no other form of the game can create memorable and meaningful moments like Test cricket can.”
The update, whereby older results are dropped or have their weightings reduced, has led to no changes in the rankings but India's lead over South Africa is trimmed from nine points to seven points. SA are not scheduled to play Test cricket until November when they host Australia.
The most dramatic change coming from the update is Australia’s loss of seven ratings points (from 107 to 100). Although they remain at the No. 5 spot, they are now eight points adrift of Sri Lanka in fourth place. The reason for this significant drop is the exclusion of a number of fine results Australia enjoyed in the season 2007-08, when they won all three of their series (against Sri Lanka, India and the West Indies).
Reliance ICC Test Championship (as of 14 July, after the annual update and before the England v India series)
| Rank | Team | Rating (+/-) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 125 (-1) |
| 2 | South Africa | 118 (+1) |
| 3 | England | 117 (+1) |
| 4 | Sri Lanka | 108 (+1) |
| 5 | Australia | 100 (-7) |
| 6 | Pakistan | 93 (+3) |
| 7 | West Indies | 89 (+1) |
| 8 | New Zealand | 78 ( - ) |
| 9 | Bangladesh | 13 (+6) |
(Developed by David Kendix)
Predictor – how possible results will affect the Reliance ICC Test Championship table:
England wins 4-0
| Rank | Team | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | England | 125 |
| 3 | India | 117 |
England wins 3-0
| Rank | Team | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | England | 124 |
| 2 | India | 119 |
England wins 3-1 or 2-0
| Rank | Team | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | England | 123 |
| 2 | India | 120 |
England wins 1-0 or 2-1
| Rank | Team | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 121 |
| 2 | England | 121 (behind by a fraction of a ratings point) |
Drawn series
| Rank | Team | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 124 |
| 2 | England | 118 (ahead of SA by a fraction of a ratings point) |
India wins 4-0
| Rank | Team | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 131 |
| 3 | England | 112 |
India wins 3-0
| Rank | Team | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 129 |
| 3 | England | 113 |
India wins 3-1 or 2-0
| Rank | Team | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 128 |
| 3 | England | 114 |
India wins 1-0 or 2-1
| Rank | Team | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 127 |
| 3 | England | 116 |
*Explanatory note: Every year, the table is updated in order to keep it current and relevant so changes occur as old results are removed from the reckoning.
This latest table reflects all Test series completed since August 2008 with results from the previous year having dropped off. Over the next 12 months, new results will be added to the table as they happen so that by July 2012 there will be four years of results taken into consideration.
This process is repeated each year, with the oldest of the four years of results removed to be replaced gradually with results of matches played over the following 12 months. This means that once a year the teams’ ratings can change overnight without any new Test matches being played.
For more information on the Reliance ICC Test Championship click here: http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net/match_zone/team_ranking.php
For information on the ICC Player Rankings go to: www.relianceiccrankings.com
