Winning performances in the One Day International series against the West Indies could see the BLACKCAPS lift their international ranking – and put captain Daniel Vettori back on top of the bowling stats.
New Zealand can climb one place to fourth in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table when it goes head to head with the West Indies in the five-match ODI series starting in Queenstown on 31 December.
Vettori’s side currently sits in fifth place on 113 ratings points and a 5-0 series win will put it ahead of Pakistan in fourth place on 118 points. A 4-1 series win will also be enough for the Black Caps to improve upon their current standing.
However, if the 5-0 series result goes the other way, New Zealand will concede 11 ratings points and the West Indies will gain 11 points. This will put both the teams level on 102 ratings points but Chris Gayle’s side will be placed higher than the Black Caps in seventh place when ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point.
In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, Vettori has top-ranked Nathan Bracken of Australia firmly within his sights. A good series for the left-arm spinner can potentially help him regain the top spot which he last enjoyed in June against England at Lord’s.
Besides Vettori, fast bowler Kyle Mills (fifth) and Jacob Oram (eighth) will also be eyeing an upward movement.
For the West Indies, Fidel Edwards (eighth) and Daren Powell (19th) are in the top 20 and will be hoping to make a charge up the ladder.
Oram leads the field in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders and will be hoping to consolidate his position ahead of England’s Andrew Flintoff. Rival captains Gayle is third while Vettori is 12th.
In the rankings for ODI batsmen, the West Indies boasts three batsmen – Shivnarine Chanderpaul (fifth), Chris Gayle (sixth) and Ramnaresh Sarwwan (13th) – in the top 20 while the highest-ranked New Zealand batsman is Ross Taylor in 29th position.
More details on international ODI rankings at: www.iccreliancerankings.com/
