'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Sri Lanka and England have an opportunity to gain vital rankings points when they go head-to-head in the first of seven One-Day Internationals (ODIs) that starts on Wednesday in Colombo.
Fourth-placed Sri Lanka currently hold a one-point lead over England, and can further increase their lead while also reducing the gap with third place South Africa. A seven-nil series win for Sri Lanka will put them ahead of South Africa by a fraction of a point and open up a 12-point gap over England, while a 6-1 win would see it remain in fourth place on 111 points, and hold a nine-point lead over England.
In a sharp contrast, if England win the series seven-nil, they would rise two places to third on 113 rankings points, four adrift of joint leaders Australia and India. A 6-1 win would see England leapfrog Sri Lanka into fourth place on 111 rating points, one rating point behind third-ranked South Africa.
Meanwhile, on the eve of the series, Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakarra is the highest-ranked batsman from either side in the Reliance ICC ODI Player Rankings for ODI batsmen. The 37-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman lies in fifth place, and he will be looking to gain ground on India’s Shikhar Dhawan who is a single rating point ahead of him. The next best-ranked Sri Lanka batsmen are Tillakaratne Dilshan (9th) and Angelo Mathews (10th).
For England, Eoin Morgan (22nd), Cook (23rd) and Ian Bell (27th) are the top-ranked batsmen and will be aiming to head in the upward direction.
In the ICC Players Rankings for ODI bowlers, Lancashire paceman James Anderson is the highest-ranked bowler on either side in fourth place, four places above his team-mate Steven Finn who lies in eighth position. Sri Lanka’s highest-ranked bowler is Rangana Herath (16th) while Mathews lies in 22nd place.
Ahead of the start of the series, in-form Mathews holds a nine-point advantage at the top of the Reliance ICC ODI Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders, with his team-mate Tillakaratne Dilshan in fifth place.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
