White-ball powerhouses India and Pakistan have been rewarded for recent series sweeps by making ground on the leading teams on the latest set of MRF Tyres ICC ODI Team Rankings.
India completed a comprehensive 3-0 sweep of Zimbabwe away from home earlier this week, while Pakistan matched their arch-rival with a hard-fought victory by the same scoreline in their Cricket World Cup Super League series against the Netherlands.
Those latest results saw India improve their ODI ranking to 111 rating points and third place overall, while Pakistan also received a boost by moving to 107 rating points in fourth.
And the pair have made ground on rankings leader New Zealand (124) following the Black Caps’ narrow 2-1 series triumph over the West Indies, while England (119) remain dormant in second place as they continue their ongoing World Test Championship series against South Africa.
The Kiwis did hold a nine-point advantage at the top of the team rankings, but the fact they lost one 50-over match during their tour of the Caribbean saw their lead reduced to just five rating points.
New Zealand do not have to wait long before they get the chance to build on their lead, with their three-match series against trans-Tasman rivals Australia coming early next month in Cairns.
A series loss in Australia could see New Zealand relinquish the rankings lead to England, while Australia (101) may get the chance to overhaul Pakistan and move into fourth place with a dominant showing over the next few weeks.
Australia host Zimbabwe for three matches in Townsville starting later this month, before they take on the Kiwis in what will be a hectic two-week period of quickfire back-to-back series’ for Aaron Finch’s side.
India’s next chance to make further ground on the ODI rankings comes when they host South Africa for three ODIs at the start of October, while Pakistan don’t have any further 50-over matches fixtured until after the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.—APP
