England will have a chance to the win the US$175,000 jackpot for topping the Reliance ICC Test Championship table when it goes head to head with Pakistan in a three-Test series starting in Dubai on Tuesday.
The award is presented on an annual basis to the side which finishes the Reliance ICC Test Championship table on the 1 April cut-off date.
England is currently on 125 ratings points and is ahead of its closest rivals, India and South Africa, by seven and eight ratings points, respectively.
With India all set to drop in the Championship table, which will be updated after the Adelaide Test, South Africa can rise to as high as 119 ratings points should it be successful in its series against New Zealand in New Zealand from 7-27 March.
However, England can put itself beyond South Africa’s reach by either winning a Test in the forthcoming series in the UAE or if it loses the series to Pakistan by a one Test margin.
In case of a 1-0 or 2-1 series loss, England will finish on 120 ratings points, one ahead of South Africa (assuming it wins 3-0 against New Zealand), while England’s 1-0 or 2-1 series win will mean it will retain its pre-series rating of 125 points.
Nevertheless, England will give South Africa a window of opportunity to top the table if it loses to Pakistan by 2-0 or more.
In the scenario of England losing 2-0 and South Africa winning 3-0, both the sides will be locked on 119 ratings points, but South Africa will be ranked above England by one tenth of a decimal point. And in the situation of England losing 3-0 and South Africa winning 3-0, then England will drop to 118 ratings points, while South Africa will finish on top at 119 ratings points.
The side that finishes second in the Reliance ICC Test Championship table on the 1 April cut-off date will receive US$75,000.
To find out exactly how the forthcoming Test series will affect the Championship table, please click here. The Test Championship table, unlike the ODI Championship table, is updated only after the end of the series.
Meanwhile, David Warner has made a big move in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen, which were updated after the Perth Test.
The 27-year-old, who was adjudged man of the match for hitting joint the fourth fastest century in Test cricket, has jumped up 35 places and is now in 34th position.
Warner’s opening partner Ed Cowan and India’s Virat Kohli have also headed in the right direction.
Cowan, who scored 74 in his only innings, has gained 24 places and now sits in 58th position along with Pakistan’s Asad Shafiq, while Kohli’s contributions of 44 and 75 have provided him with a leap of 39 places, which puts him in 66th spot.
The batsmen losing ground after the Perth Test included Sachin Tendulkar in eighth (down by three), Michael Clarke in 11th (down by three), Mike Hussey in 14th (down by two), VVS Laxman in 21st (down by three), Virender Sehwag in 24th (down by two), Gautam Gambhir in 32nd (down by one), Mahendra Singh Dhoni in 40th (down by four), Brad Haddin in 42nd (down by three) and Shaun Marsh in 89th (down by three).
Australia’s fast bowler Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus have achieved career-best rakings after inspiring their side to an innings and 37 runs victory.
Siddle, who won the ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year award at the LG ICC Awards in Johannesburg in 2009, had figures of three for 42 and three for 43 which have given him a lift of two places and puts him in fifth position.
Hilfenhaus had match figures of eight for 97, which have helped him break into the top 10 for the first time in his career. The 28-year-old Tasmanian has jumped five places to sixth position to trail Siddle by just 18 ratings points.
Hilfenhaus had entered the series in 31st position and has gained 25 positions so far after claiming taken 23 wickets at 16. Given that he is still in a qualification period for bowlers*, it is likely that he will move even further up the ladder depending on how he performs in the fourth Test which starts in Adelaide on 24 January.
India’s Umesh Yadav is the other bowler to make an upward movement. The fast bowler claimed his maiden five-wicket haul which has helped him climb seven places to 43rd.
The bowlers’ list is headed by South Africa’s Dale Steyn, while England’s James Anderson, Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad are second, third and fourth, respectively.
The Test player rankings will now be updated after the Dubai Test.
Test series finishing before the 1 April cut-off date:
Australia v India
24-28 Jan – Fourth Test, Adelaide
Pakistan v England
17-21 Jan – First Test, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
25-29 Jan – Second Test, Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
3-7 Feb – Third Test, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
New Zealand v Zimbabwe
26-30 Jan – One-off Test, Napier
New Zealand v South Africa
7-11 Mar – First Test, Dunedin
15-19 Mar – Second Test, Hamilton
23-27 Mar – Third Test, Wellington
Test series finishing after the 1 April cut-off date
Sri Lanka v England
26-30 Mar – First Test, Galle
3-7 April – Second Test, P.Sara Oval, Colombo
Reliance ICC Test Championship table (before the start of Pakistan and England Test series)
1- England 125
2- India 118
3- South Africa 117
4- Australia 103
5- Pakistan 99
6- Sri Lanka 98
7- West Indies 88
8- New Zealand 83
9- Bangladesh 4
(Zimbabwe will have to play eight Tests before it will have a ranking)
(Developed by David Kendix)
Reliance ICC Test Rankings (after Perth Test and before the start of first Test between Pakistan and England)
Batsmen (top 20)
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Ave HS Rating
1 ( – ) K.Sangakkara SL 850 55.97 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
2 ( – ) Jacques Kallis SA 846 57.02 935 v NZ at Centurion 2007
3 ( – ) Alastair Cook Eng 823 49.72 836 v Ind at Edgbaston 2011
4 ( – ) Ian Bell Eng 822! 49.28 822 v Ind at The Oval 2011
5 ( – ) AB de Villiers SA 815! 49.42 815 v SL at Cape Town 2012
6 (+1) Younus Khan Pak 789 53.03 880 v SL at Lahore 2009
7 (+2) Jonathan Trott Eng 776* 57.79 856 v SL at Cardiff 2011
8 (+2) T.Samaraweera SL 775! 53.42 775 v SA at Cape Town 2012
9 (-3) S.Tendulkar Ind 774 55.71 898 v Zim at Nagpur 2002
10 (+1) Kevin Pietersen Eng 770 50.48 909 v WI at Headingley 2007
11 (-3) Michael Clarke Aus 768 48.39 855 v Eng at Headingley 2009
12 (+1) S.Chanderpaul WI 766 49.28 901 v NZ at Napier 2008
13 (+1) Hashim Amla SA 760 46.97 842 v Ind at Kolkata 2010
14 (-2) Mike Hussey Aus 753 51.40 921 v WI at Kingston 2008
15 ( – ) Rahul Dravid Ind 734 52.62 892 v Pak at Kolkata 2005
16 ( – ) Graeme Smith SA 731 49.42 843 v Eng at Johannesburg 2010
17 ( – ) Misbah-ul-Haq Pak 730 46.34 735 v SL at Sharjah 2011
18 (+1) Darren Bravo WI 683*! 52.50 683 v Ind at Mumbai 2011
19= (+1) Matt Prior Eng 679 44.71 692 v Ind at Trent Bridge 2011
(+1) Ross Taylor NZ 679 40.81 775 v Pak at Wellington 2009
Other selected rankings
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Ave HS Rating
21 (-3) VVS Laxman Ind 673 46.17 781 v WI at Dominica 2011
22 (+1) Ricky Ponting Aus 653 52.51 942 v Eng at Adelaide 2006
23 (+1) Azhar Ali Pak 644* 42.00 658 v SL at Dubai 2011
24 (-2) Virender Sehwag Ind 640 50.93 866 v SL at Galle 2010
28 ( – ) Andrew Strauss Eng 603 41.98 769 v SA at Johannesburg 2005
32 (-1) Gautam Gambhir Ind 588 45.93 886 v SL at Kanpur 2009
34 (+35) David Warner Aus 568*! 63.83 568 v Ind at Perth 2012
36 (-1) Umar Akmal Pak 560* 35.82 647 v Aus at Sydney 2010
38 ( – ) Taufeeq Umar Pak 541* 40.86 703 v SA at Faisalabad 2003
40 (-4) Mahendra Dhoni Ind 531 37.32 662 v SA at Kolkata 2010
42 (-3) Brad Haddin Aus 514 34.98 637 v WI at Perth 2009
45 (-1) M.Hafeez Pak 508*! 36.35 508 v Ban at Mirpur 2011
46 (-1) Stuart Broad Eng 505! 29.02 505 v Ind at The Oval 2011
53 (-1) Eoin Morgan Eng 446* 36.35 477 v Pak at Trent Bridge 2010
58= (-1) Asad Shafiq Pak 420* 39.16 435 v NZ at Hamilton 2011
(+24) Ed Cowan Aus 420*! 41.50 420 v Ind at Perth 2012
66 (+39) Virat Kohli Ind 375*! 27.15 375 v Aus at Perth 2012
75 (-1) Graeme Swann Eng 338 23.52 418 v Ban at Chittagong 2010
84 (-1) Ravi Bopara Eng 306* 34.56 444 v WI at Chester-le-St 2009
85 (+1) Peter Siddle Aus 294! 16.71 294 v Ind at Perth 2012
89 (-3) Shaun Marsh Aus 277* 33.11 427 v SL at Colombo (SSC) 2011
93 (-1) Adnan Akmal Pak 267*! 29.75 267 v Ban at Mirpur 2011
Bowlers (top 10)
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Avge Econ HS Rating
1 ( – ) Dale Steyn SA 896 23.07 902 v SL at Centurion 2011
2 ( – ) James Anderson Eng 811 30.57 813 v Ind at Edgbaston 2011
3 ( – ) Graeme Swann Eng 755 28.82 858 v Pak at Lord’s 2010
4 ( – ) Stuart Broad Eng 744! 32.00 744 v Ind at The Oval 2011
5 (+2) Peter Siddle Aus 736! 29.75 736 v Ind at Perth 2012
6 (+5) Ben Hilfenhaus Aus 718*! 29.15 718 v Ind at Perth 2012
7 (-1) Morne Morkel SA 715 30.58 776 v Aus at Cape Town 2011
8 (-3) Zaheer Khan Ind 705 31.64 752 v SA at Durban 2010
9 (-1) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 678* 31.33 680 v WI at Mirpur 2011
10 (-1) Rangana Herath SL 660 34.33 681 v SA at Durban 2011
Other selected rankings
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Avge Econ HS Rating
12 ( – ) Saeed Ajmal Pak 645* 30.16 651 v Ban at Chittagong 2011
14 ( – ) Chris Tremlett Eng 619* 25.67 638 v Ind at Lord’s 2011
16 (+2) Umar Gul Pak 594 33.24 627 v WI at Karachi 2006
19 ( – ) Abdur Rehman Pak 586*! 30.98 586 v Ban at Mirpur 2011
25 (+1) Steven Finn Eng 547* 26.92 575 v SL at Lord’s 2011
27 (+1) Ryan Harris Aus 542* 22.02 562 v SA at Cape Town 2011
28 (-3) Ishant Sharma Ind 534 37.19 671 v WI at Dominica 2011
39 ( – ) Aizaz Cheema Pak 394*! 24.78 394 v Ban at Mirpur 2011
43 (+7) Umesh Yadav Ind 360* 27.76 385 v Aus at Melbourne 2011
52 ( – ) Junaid Khan Pak 293* 29.46 328 v SL at Dubai 2011
56 ( – ) Wahab Riaz Pak 256* 34.11 312 v NZ at Hamilton 2011
62 ( – ) M.Hafeez Pak 242* 39.00 271 v Zim at Bulawayo 2011
70 (+31) Mitchell Starc Aus 169*! 33.75 169 v Ind at Perth 2012
All-rounders (top five)
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts HS Rating
1 ( – ) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 404 /*! 404 v Pak at Mirpur 2011
2 ( – ) Jacques Kallis SA 395 616 v Pak at Durban 2002
3 ( – ) Daniel Vettori NZ 385 412 v Pak at Napier 2009
4 ( – ) Stuart Broad Eng 376! 376 v Ind at The Oval 2011
5 ( – ) Shane Watson Aus 357 /* 394 v SA at Johannesburg 2011
*indicates provisional rating; a batsman qualifies for a full rating after a minimum of 40 started innings; a bowler qualifies for a full rating after he has conceded 1,500 runs.
!indicates career-highest rating