Power Ranking the ODI Cricket Nations
Following the recent publication of Bleacher Report’s Test match power rankings, it is now time for a similar version detailing the one-day game.
And so just to recap, this alternative rankings system to the current International Cricket Council (ICC) table is based on how a side is performing right now, not 12 months ago for instance, with the main criteria being: If two nations were to meet both home and away today, just who would come out on top?
As a result, this is what the new standings look like…
12: Netherlands
1 of 12
Current ICC ranking: 12th (88 points)
Last series played: Lost 1-0 (1) in South Africa in May 2013
Next assignment: TBC
Their current ICC ranking is just about right for the Dutch, who were beaten 1-0 by the Proteas in a one-off ODI encounter on their travels last May.
11: Ireland
2 of 12
Current ICC ranking: 11th (423 points)
Last series played: Lost 1-0 (1) at home to England in September 2013 and 1-0 (2) at home to Pakistan in May 2013
Next assignment: West Indies (a) in February 2014
Still competitive in this shorter format, as seen when they only lost 1-0 at home to both England and Pakistan last year, and it will now be intriguing to see just how the Emerald Isle get on in their next series in the Caribbean next month.
10: Zimbabwe
3 of 12
Current ICC ranking: 10th (1,439 points)
Last series played: Lost 1-2 (3) at home to Pakistan in August 2013
Next assignment: Australia (h) in June and July 2014
A narrow defeat in their most recent 50-over series to Pakistan shows that on their day, the southern Africans are still more than capable of competing with the very best in the one-day arena.
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9: New Zealand
4 of 12
Current ICC ranking: 9th (3,259 points)
Last series played: Drew 2-2 (5) at home to West Indies in December 2013
Next assignment: India (h) in January 2014
Failure to win any of their previous three series against West Indies, Sri Lanka and most damagingly of all, Bangladesh, sees the Black Caps at the bottom of the ODI pile as far as the regular Test-playing nations are concerned.
8: Bangladesh
5 of 12
Current ICC ranking: 10th (2,165 points)
Last series played: Beat New Zealand 3-0 (3) at home in October/November 2013
Next assignment: Sri Lanka (h) in February 2014
A famous whitewash of the Kiwis in their most recent series propels Bangladesh up to a well-deserved eighth place in our revised table.
7: West Indies
6 of 12
Current ICC ranking: 7th (4,300 points)
Last series played: Drew 2-2 (5) at home to New Zealand in December 2013
Next assignment: Ireland (h) in February 2014
Spirited recent displays on the road, albeit with both ending in narrow series defeats, in New Zealand and previously India, have the talented, yet mercurial, Calypso Kings in seventh position, but certainly looking up though.
5= Sri Lanka
7 of 12
Current ICC ranking: 5th (6,059 points)
Last series played: Lost 2-3 (5) to Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates in December 2013
Next assignment: Bangladesh (a) in February 2014
If a narrow series defeat to subcontinental rivals Pakistan was disappointing, then being held at home by New Zealand was a definite surprise in October 2013 for a one-day unit that normally sweeps all before them in their own favourable spin-friendly conditions.
5= England
8 of 12
Current ICC ranking: 3rd (4,671 points)
Last series played: Lost 1-2 (5) at home to Australia in September 2013
Next assignment: Currently playing a five-match series in Australia
Discounting their run all the way to the ICC Champions Trophy final as hosts of the global tournament in June, England have otherwise struggled badly in the 50-over game of late, losing recent series to both Australia and New Zealand on home soil.
And one suspects Alastair Cook and Co. will also suffer defeat in their current five-match encounter Down Under as well after Sunday’s convincing loss in the first match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
4: Australia
9 of 12
Current ICC ranking: 2rd (4,808 points)
Last series played: Lost 2-3 (7) in India in October and November 2013
Next assignment: Currently playing a five-match series at home to England
Defeat in their last series, albeit narrowly on the road to world champions India, sees the Aussies slip down a few places to fourth spot in these revised standings, although a likely home win over England in their current encounter will help to move Michael Clarke’s men back up the table.
3: India
10 of 12
Current ICC ranking: 1st (6,967 points)
Last series played: Lost 2-0 (3) in South Africa in December 2013
Next assignment: New Zealand (a) in January 2014
Defeat in their most recent series against the Proteas has cost the world champions top spot here, with MS Dhoni’s exciting outfit still needing to show greater consistency on their travels in the shorter form of the game to match their dominance at home, where India have beaten both West Indies and Australia in the space of the past three months
2: Pakistan
11 of 12
Current ICC ranking: 6th (5,873 points)
Last series played: Beat Sri Lanka 3-2 (5) in the UAE in December 2013
Next assignment: New Zealand (h) in November and December 2014
Misbah-ul-Haq’s men have got the better of both Sri Lanka and South Africa in their past two series, confirming the long-held belief that they are currently ranked far too low by the ICC.
Then again, it is always dangerous to make too many predictions when it comes to Pakistan, as seen by their earlier 4-1 thrashing by the Proteas in the UAE in October and November 2013.
1: South Africa
12 of 12
Current ICC ranking: 4th (4,825 points)
Last series played: Beat India 2-0 (3) at home in December 2013
Next assignment: Zimbabwe (a) in July and August 2014
It has been an impressive past few months for the Proteas ODI skipper AB de Villiers, who has led his team to series wins over India at home and Pakistan in the UAE by a combined scoreline of 6-1, although in between those two triumphs they were surprisingly beaten 2-1 at home by the ever-improving Pakistanis.
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