ICC ODI rankings
Bangladesh delicately placed in 7th position
Sports Reporter
Bangladesh have conceded a point in the latest update of ODI rankings as the cut-off date for direct qualification for the 2019 ICC World Cup approaches closer.
The annual update is carried out to ensure the table continues to reflect teams recent form with older results being discarded. As such, the table now reflects all matches from 1 May 2014, with matches played from 1 May 2016 carrying 100 per cent weighting, according to the press release sent by ICC on Monday.
According to the annual update, Bangladesh have 91 points and are delicately placed at number seven. Both eighth ranked Pakistan and ninth-ranked West Indies have dropped points following the update - Pakistan slipping from 90 points to 88 points and the West Indies sliding from 83 points to 79 points. However, Pakistans pre-update seven-point gap has extended to nine points.
However though Bangladesh has surrendered one point and is now on 91 points, its gap over eighth-ranked Pakistan has increased from two points to three. Sri Lanka, which was sitting pretty on 98 points prior to the annual update, has slid to 93 points to now lead Bangladesh by only two points.
Sri Lanka leads the West Indies by 14 points. Bangladesh are also not far away from sixth-ranked Sri Lanka, who were sitting pretty on 98 points prior to the annual update but have slid to 93 points to now lead Bangladesh by only two points. West Indies are ranked 9th with 79 points, nine points behind Pakistan.
South Africa and Australia have retained the top two positions. Number-one ranked South Africa has gained four points following the annual update and are now on 123 points, while world champions and second-ranked Australia have stayed on 118 points.
However, the small difference in points in the middle of the table adds a lot of context, entertainment and excitement to the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy and other matches up to 30 September since performances during this period could help sides to qualify directly for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 rather than having to progress through the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018.
Rank Team Points
1. South Africa 123 (+4)
2. Australia 118 (-)
3. India 117 (+5)
4. New Zealand 115 (+2)
5. England 109 (+1)
6. Sri Lanka 93 (-5)
7. Bangladesh 91 (-1)
8. Pakistan 88 (-2)
9. West Indies 79 (-4)
10. Afghanistan 52 (-)
11. Zimbabwe 46 (-2)
12. Ireland 43 (+1)
