The ICC today launched the first official team rankings for One Day International cricket.
Australia heads the opening ICC ODI Rankings table, followed by South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan, with India in fifth place.
"One Day International cricket is a hugely important and successful part of the international game and official recognition of outstanding team performance is well overdue," said ICC Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed today.
Mr Speed said that in addition to recognising the relative status of each ODI team, the new ICC Rankings would place every future One Day International match into a wider context: "Now, the result of every one of the 120 or so matches that will be played between the 11 ODI countries over the next 12 months will count towards a country's rating. This will add a new dimension to the playing side of the game and contribute towards greater spectator interest," he said.
ICC ODI RANKING TABLE, 31st OCTOBER 2002
| Ranking |
Team |
Rating |
| 1 |
Australia |
128 |
| 2 |
South Africa |
120 |
| 3 |
Sri Lanka |
117 |
| 4 |
Pakistan |
115 |
| 5 |
India |
106 |
| 6 |
England |
96 |
| 7 |
West Indies |
94 |
| 8 |
New Zealand |
91 |
| 9 |
Zimbabwe |
67 |
| 10 |
Kenya |
22 |
| 11 |
Bangladesh |
11 |
The new ICC table gives Ranking positions and ratings for all 10 Test countries plus Kenya, the only nation to hold ODI, but not Test status. These opening positions are based on the results of all ODIs played between the teams since 1st August 2000. They include results from the most recent ODI series, between South Africa and Bangladesh, played earlier this month.
How it works
The formula used by the ICC to determine team Ranking positions takes into account the following factors:
- results from all ODI matches played over the previous two to three years
- strength of opposition, with greater reward for beating higher ranked opponents
- greater importance is placed on more recent results, with older matches dropped every 12 months
- all matches have equal status, with no account taken of venue or margin of victory
In developing the Rankings system, the ICC has consulted closely with international scorer and cricket statistician David Kendix. Further explanatory notes covering the methodology developed by David Kendix and adopted by the ICC can be found on the ODI Rankings section of the ICC web site at www.icc.cricket.org.
The country with the highest rating is officially regarded as the best ODI team in world cricket, and will hold a specially commissioned ICC ODI Trophy, while it tops the table.
The ICC ODI Rankings table will be updated and published on the ICC web site after each ODI match between the 11 major nations. Series previews and details of major movements on the Rankings table will be circulated on a regular basis by ICC media release.
© ICC
