The VB series opener between Australia and England on Friday 13th December is the first One Day International for both sides since the introduction of the ICC ODI Championship Table in October 2002.

With South Africa closing the gap at the top with recent victories over Sri Lanka and Pakistan, current leaders Australia need to get off to a winning start to the series to ensure that they remain in first place.

ICC ODI Championship Table

 
Ranking    Team             Pld   Points  Rating
1          Australia         27    3465    128
2          South Africa      44    5465    124
3          Pakistan          38    4375    115
4          Sri Lanka         40    4549    114
5          India             38    3929    103
6          West Indies       31    3073     99
7          England           21    2014     96
8          New Zealand       31    2832     91
9          Zimbabwe          33    2169     66
10         Kenya             12     263     22
11         Bangladesh        15     146     10

(correct before the completion of South Africa v Pakistan on Wednesday 11th December, for updated table see www.icc.cricket.org)

The series begins with two matches between Australia and England in Sydney and Melbourne. If England, currently seventh in the ICC ODI rankings, can upset the formbook and win both games they will climb above West Indies into sixth place. Indeed if England can win three of their first four matches they will also overtake India who currently lie fifth in the ICC ODI Championship table.

Since the launch of the ICC ODI rankings, Sri Lanka have been locked in a battle for third place with Pakistan. The VB Series offers Sri Lanka an opportunity to make third position their own and a good series will see them pull away from their rival.

"This is the first opportunity for Australia and England to improve their ODI rankings," said ICC General Manager - Cricket, David Richardson.

"With South Africa recently winning a number of games against two of the stronger sides - Sri Lanka and Pakistan - it means that if Australia don't get off to a good start in the VB Series they could slip back into second place."

The ICC ODI Championship table is updated on the ICC website - www.icc.cricket.org - after every ODI match. There is also an interactive Predictor on the website which allows cricket fans to forecast the impact of future results.

The first five matches of the VB series will be refereed by Wasim Raja and umpired by Steve Bucknor and Rudi Koertzen of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires. There is then a break before the final matches which will be refereed by Clive Lloyd and umpired by Russell Tiffin and David Orchard from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires.

Fixtures:

Australia v England, Sydney 13th December
Australia v England, Melbourne 15th December
England v Sri Lanka, Brisbane 17th December
England v Sri Lanka, Perth 20th December
Australia v Sri Lanka, Perth 22nd December
Australia v Sri Lanka, Sydney 9th January
Australia v England, Hobart 11th January
England v Sri Lanka, Sydney 13th January
Australia v Sri Lanka, Brisbane 15th January
England v Sri Lanka, Adelaide 17th January
Australia v England, Adelaide 19th January
Australia v Sri Lanka, Melbourne 21st January
1st final, Sydney 23rd January
2nd final, Melbourne 25th January
3rd final, Adelaide 27th January

How the ICC ODI rankings work:

The formula used by the ICC to determine 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

For the full formula visit www.icc.cricket.org.

Mark Harrison	Jon Long
ICC Communications Manager	Project Officer-Corporate Affairs
Tel: + 44 (0) 20 7266 7935	Tel: + 44 (0) 20 7266 7912
Mobile: + 44 (0) 7879 441891	Mobile: + 44 (0) 7946 545 090
E Mail: mark.harrison@icc-cricket.com	E Mail: jon.long@icc-cricket.com

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