SL, Bangladesh ODI series to play vital role for WC qualification
Sports Reporter
The upcoming three-match ODI series between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are equally crucial for both sides not only consolidating its position on ICC ODI Team Rakings but also strengthening its chances of qualifying automatically for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
The series is scheduled to kick start in Dambulla on Saturday (March 25).
Just seven points difference separated the two sides as the series is approached closer. Sri Lanka are now placed sixth with 98 points, while Bangladesh followed them as seventh with 91 points. A 3-0 win for Sri Lanka will help it gain two points and rise to 100, while Bangladesh will slip behind Pakistan on 88 points.
However, if the series result is reversed, then Bangladesh, which will aim to carry its P.Sara Stadium momentum into the ODI series, will join Sri Lanka on 96 points and be ranked in sixth place when the points are calculated beyond the decimal point.
Another two scenarios also might be happened. If Sri Lanka win it 2-1, then their points will stand at 99 and Bangladesh 91 or if Bangladesh win 2-1, then Bangladesh will be 93 and Sri Lanka 97.
Bangladesh though would come the series after five straight Test matches, the ODI is the format which most of the Bangladeshi players get particularly to their likings. Their ODI record also has been phenomenal in the last two years even though they couldnt win a bilateral series against England at home last year. But considering the format and confidence they gained from defeating Sri Lanka in the second and final Test, would make Bangladesh upbeat ahead of the series.
In the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for ODI Batsmen, Bangladeshs Mushfiqur Rahim is top-ranked from either side in 19th position while opener Tamim Iqbal (23rd), Soumya Sarkar (30th rank) and all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan (31st) will be the others from the visiting side looking to improve their rankings.
In the absence of all-rounder Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis is the home sides top-ranked batsman in 60th position while Niroshan Dickwella is one slot behind him.
Shakib is the leading bowler from either side in the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for ODI Bowlers in eighth position with his captain Mashrafe Mortaza (12th) and Mustafizur Rahman (30th) the other leading bowlers from the side. For Sri Lanka, Suranga Lakmal is the top-ranked bowler in 28th position.
Meanwhile, West Indies and Pakistan will square-off in a four-match Twenty20 International series in Bridgetown on Sunday, but both sides will be keeping a close eye on the ODI series in Sri Lanka as both are also in the danger zone.
Pakistan are in eighth place in the current rankings with 89 points, while their West Indian counterparts are ninth with 84 points. The two sides will face each other in a three-match ODI series from 7-11 April in what could potentially also have a huge impact in qualification terms.
England and the seven other top teams on September 30, 2017 will qualify directly for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 with the remaining four teams getting a second chance through a 10-team ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifying tournament in 2018.
The annual ICC ODI Team Rankings update will be carried out on May 1, 2017- in which results from 2013-14 will be dropped, while results from 2015-16 will be reduced to a weighting of 50 per cent.
On the other hand, there is a possibility of Nidahas Trophy triangular series involving Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India before May. The proposal still is in pre-matured stage. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hasan Papon recently went to Sri Lanka to witness the centenary Test of Bangladesh. The chief executive of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also went there in an invitation ofSri Lanka Cricket (SLC) president Thilanga Sumathipala. As per SLC, it is not yet clear what type of format matches would be held.
