The three-Test series between South Africa and West Indies starts at Centurion on Wednesday with the host looking to further consolidate its position at the top of the Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings Table.
Ahead of the series, Hashim Amla’s men know that irrespective of how the Australia-India series pans out, if they beat the West Indies by 1-0 or better, then they will be guaranteed top Test spot at the annual cut-off date.
However, if the South Africa-West Indies series ends in a draw and Australia wins all four Tests against India, then Australia will claim the top spot by 0.2 ratings points, with South Africa falling to second.
Ahead of the series, Hashim Amla’s men know that irrespective of how the Australia-India series pans out, if they beat the West Indies by 1-0 or better, then they will be guaranteed top Test spot at the annual cut-off date.
However, if the South Africa-West Indies series ends in a draw and Australia wins all four Tests against India, then Australia will claim the top spot by 0.2 ratings points, with South Africa falling to second.
There are several permutations that could emerge over the coming weeks as the respective hosts in both series, South Africa and Australia, bid for top spot. To find out exactly how the forthcoming series will affect the rankings table, please click here. The Test rankings table, unlike the ODI and T20I rankings tables, is updated after the conclusion of a series.
Meanwhile, AB de Villiers will go into the series as the highest-ranked batsman from either side, in second place, on the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen and the 30-year-old holds a slender one-point advantage over West Indies left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who is on 887 ratings points.
In all there are three Proteas batsmen in the top 20 with de Villiers joined by sixth-placed Hashim Amla, who is currently 10 ratings points adrift of Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews in the rankings table, and Faf du Plessis, who lies in a career-high 15th place on 707 points.
Other batsmen to feature inside the top 50 and likely to appear during the series are Marlon Samuels (44th) and Alviro Petersen (46th).
In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers, Dale Steyn enters the series as the number-one ranked bowler, and he is one point shy of his highest career ranking of 908 points, which he achieved in the Test victory over Pakistan in Johannesburg in February 2013. Vernon Philander (sixth) is 21 points behind England’s James Anderson, while paceman Morne Morkel, in 12th position, is the third Proteas bowler in the top 20.
Eighth-ranked Kemar Roach is West Indies’ highest-ranked bowler on 768 ratings points and he will be aiming to reduce the six-point deficit on England’s Stuart Broad. Sulieman Benn (20th), Jerome Taylor (45th), Kyle Abbott (51st) and Shannon Gabriel (68th) are some of the other bowlers who may feature in the series.
In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test All-rounders, South Africa’s Philander is ranked in third place on 348 points and is just two points shy of India’s Ravichandran Ashwin.
Upcoming fixtures
Australia v India
17-21 Dec – 2nd Test, Brisbane
26-30 Dec – 3rd Test, Melbourne
6-10 Jan – 4th Test, Sydney
South Africa v West Indies
17-21 Dec – 1st Test, Centurion
26-30 Dec – 2nd Test, Port Elizabeth
2-6 Jan – 3rd Test, Cape Town
Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings table (as on 15 December, before the start of South Africa-West Indies series)
Rank Team Rating
1 South Africa 124
2 Australia 117
3 England 104
4 Pakistan 103
5 Sri Lanka 101
6 India 96
7 New Zealand 94
8 West Indies 75
9 Bangladesh 32
10 Zimbabwe 18
(Developed by David Kendix)
Reliance ICC Test Player Rankings (as on 15 December, before the start of South Africa-West Indies series)
Batsmen
Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
1 K. Sangakkara SL 915 58.76 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
2 AB de Villiers SA 888 51.02 935 v Aus at Port Elizabeth 2014
3 S. Chanderpaul WI 887 53.10 901 v NZ at Napier 2008
4 David Warner Aus 880! 50.05 880 v Ind at Adelaide 2014
5 Angelo Mathews SL 873! 52.65 873 v Pak at Colombo (SSC) 2014
6 Hashim Amla SA 863 51.32 907 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2013
7 Younus Khan Pak 818 53.37 880 v SL at Lahore 2009
8 Steven Smith Aus 791! 46.02 791 v Ind at Adelaide 2014
9 Joe Root Eng 789! 50.94 789 v Ind at The Oval 2014
10 Ross Taylor NZ 783 45.95 871 v WI at Hamilton 2013
Selected Rankings
Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
15 Faf du Plessis SA 707*! 52.58 707 v Zim at Harare 2014
44 Marlon Samuels WI 538 34.68 672 v Zim at Bridgetown 2013
46 Alviro Petersen SA 531 35.83 655 v NZ at Cape Town 2013
56 Denesh Ramdin WI 465 27.17 493 v NZ at Bridgetown 2014
60 V. Philander SA 443* 27.36 449 v SL at Colombo (SSC) 2014
63 Dean Elgar SA 430*! 31.52 430 v Zim at Harare 2014
72 Quinton de Kock SA 399*! 35.14 399 v Zim at Harare 2014
85 Jason Holder WI 343* 45.00 350 v NZ at Bridgetown 2014
87 Robin Peterson SA 337* 27.29 365 v Ind at Durban 2013
Bowlers
Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
1 Dale Steyn SA 907 22.56 908 v Pak at Johannesburg 2013
2 Rangana Herath SL 851! 29.06 851 v Pak at Colombo (SSC) 2014
3 M. Johnson Aus 835 27.60 849 v Pak at Dubai 2014
4 Ryan Harris Aus 832 23.12 870 v SA at Cape Town 2014
5 James Anderson Eng 806 29.72 813 v Ind at Edgbaston 2011
6 V. Philander SA 785 21.57 912 v Ind at Johannesburg 2013
7 Stuart Broad Eng 774 29.90 783 v WI at Lord's 2012
8 Kemar Roach WI 768! 25.98 768 v Ban at St Lucia 2014
9 Trent Boult NZ 762* 27.85 767 v Ind at Wellington 2014
10 Tim Southee NZ 744 30.67 799 v WI at Kingston 2014
Selected Rankings
Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
12 Morne Morkel SA 707 29.90 776 v Aus at Cape Town 2011
20 Sulieman Benn WI 574*! 35.60 574 v Ban at St Lucia 2014
45 Jerome Taylor WI 371* 33.94 717 v Eng at Kingston 2009
51 Kyle Abbott SA 343* 16.41 354 v Aus at Cape Town 2014
68 Shannon Gabriel WI 271* 34.63 360 v Zim at Dominica 2013
72 Robin Peterson SA 246* 37.26 335 v NZ at Port Elizabeth 2013
87 Marlon Samuels WI 183* 54.41 250 v Zim at Dominica 2013
All-rounders
Rank Player Team Points HS Rating
1 Shakib Al Hasan Ban 398 419 v Zim at Khulna 2014
2 R. Ashwin Ind 350*/ 419 v WI at Mumbai 2013
3 V. Philander SA 348*/ 376 v Aus at Cape Town 2014
4 Stuart Broad Eng 296 382 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2012
5 M. Johnson Aus 279 384 v Eng at Cardiff 2009
*indicates provisional rating; a batsman qualifies for a full rating after playing 40 Test innings; a bowler qualifies for a full rating when he reaches 100 Test wickets.
!indicates career-highest rating
For more information go to www.relianceiccrankings.com.
Meanwhile, AB de Villiers will go into the series as the highest-ranked batsman from either side, in second place, on the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen and the 30-year-old holds a slender one-point advantage over West Indies left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who is on 887 ratings points.
In all there are three Proteas batsmen in the top 20 with de Villiers joined by sixth-placed Hashim Amla, who is currently 10 ratings points adrift of Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews in the rankings table, and Faf du Plessis, who lies in a career-high 15th place on 707 points.
Other batsmen to feature inside the top 50 and likely to appear during the series are Marlon Samuels (44th) and Alviro Petersen (46th).
In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers, Dale Steyn enters the series as the number-one ranked bowler, and he is one point shy of his highest career ranking of 908 points, which he achieved in the Test victory over Pakistan in Johannesburg in February 2013. Vernon Philander (sixth) is 21 points behind England’s James Anderson, while paceman Morne Morkel, in 12th position, is the third Proteas bowler in the top 20.
Eighth-ranked Kemar Roach is West Indies’ highest-ranked bowler on 768 ratings points and he will be aiming to reduce the six-point deficit on England’s Stuart Broad. Sulieman Benn (20th), Jerome Taylor (45th), Kyle Abbott (51st) and Shannon Gabriel (68th) are some of the other bowlers who may feature in the series.
In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test All-rounders, South Africa’s Philander is ranked in third place on 348 points and is just two points shy of India’s Ravichandran Ashwin.
Upcoming fixtures
Australia v India
17-21 Dec – 2nd Test, Brisbane
26-30 Dec – 3rd Test, Melbourne
6-10 Jan – 4th Test, Sydney
South Africa v West Indies
17-21 Dec – 1st Test, Centurion
26-30 Dec – 2nd Test, Port Elizabeth
2-6 Jan – 3rd Test, Cape Town
Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings table (as on 15 December, before the start of South Africa-West Indies series)
Rank Team Rating
1 South Africa 124
2 Australia 117
3 England 104
4 Pakistan 103
5 Sri Lanka 101
6 India 96
7 New Zealand 94
8 West Indies 75
9 Bangladesh 32
10 Zimbabwe 18
(Developed by David Kendix)
Reliance ICC Test Player Rankings (as on 15 December, before the start of South Africa-West Indies series)
Batsmen
Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
1 K. Sangakkara SL 915 58.76 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
2 AB de Villiers SA 888 51.02 935 v Aus at Port Elizabeth 2014
3 S. Chanderpaul WI 887 53.10 901 v NZ at Napier 2008
4 David Warner Aus 880! 50.05 880 v Ind at Adelaide 2014
5 Angelo Mathews SL 873! 52.65 873 v Pak at Colombo (SSC) 2014
6 Hashim Amla SA 863 51.32 907 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2013
7 Younus Khan Pak 818 53.37 880 v SL at Lahore 2009
8 Steven Smith Aus 791! 46.02 791 v Ind at Adelaide 2014
9 Joe Root Eng 789! 50.94 789 v Ind at The Oval 2014
10 Ross Taylor NZ 783 45.95 871 v WI at Hamilton 2013
Selected Rankings
Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
15 Faf du Plessis SA 707*! 52.58 707 v Zim at Harare 2014
44 Marlon Samuels WI 538 34.68 672 v Zim at Bridgetown 2013
46 Alviro Petersen SA 531 35.83 655 v NZ at Cape Town 2013
56 Denesh Ramdin WI 465 27.17 493 v NZ at Bridgetown 2014
60 V. Philander SA 443* 27.36 449 v SL at Colombo (SSC) 2014
63 Dean Elgar SA 430*! 31.52 430 v Zim at Harare 2014
72 Quinton de Kock SA 399*! 35.14 399 v Zim at Harare 2014
85 Jason Holder WI 343* 45.00 350 v NZ at Bridgetown 2014
87 Robin Peterson SA 337* 27.29 365 v Ind at Durban 2013
Bowlers
Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
1 Dale Steyn SA 907 22.56 908 v Pak at Johannesburg 2013
2 Rangana Herath SL 851! 29.06 851 v Pak at Colombo (SSC) 2014
3 M. Johnson Aus 835 27.60 849 v Pak at Dubai 2014
4 Ryan Harris Aus 832 23.12 870 v SA at Cape Town 2014
5 James Anderson Eng 806 29.72 813 v Ind at Edgbaston 2011
6 V. Philander SA 785 21.57 912 v Ind at Johannesburg 2013
7 Stuart Broad Eng 774 29.90 783 v WI at Lord's 2012
8 Kemar Roach WI 768! 25.98 768 v Ban at St Lucia 2014
9 Trent Boult NZ 762* 27.85 767 v Ind at Wellington 2014
10 Tim Southee NZ 744 30.67 799 v WI at Kingston 2014
Selected Rankings
Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
12 Morne Morkel SA 707 29.90 776 v Aus at Cape Town 2011
20 Sulieman Benn WI 574*! 35.60 574 v Ban at St Lucia 2014
45 Jerome Taylor WI 371* 33.94 717 v Eng at Kingston 2009
51 Kyle Abbott SA 343* 16.41 354 v Aus at Cape Town 2014
68 Shannon Gabriel WI 271* 34.63 360 v Zim at Dominica 2013
72 Robin Peterson SA 246* 37.26 335 v NZ at Port Elizabeth 2013
87 Marlon Samuels WI 183* 54.41 250 v Zim at Dominica 2013
All-rounders
Rank Player Team Points HS Rating
1 Shakib Al Hasan Ban 398 419 v Zim at Khulna 2014
2 R. Ashwin Ind 350*/ 419 v WI at Mumbai 2013
3 V. Philander SA 348*/ 376 v Aus at Cape Town 2014
4 Stuart Broad Eng 296 382 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2012
5 M. Johnson Aus 279 384 v Eng at Cardiff 2009
*indicates provisional rating; a batsman qualifies for a full rating after playing 40 Test innings; a bowler qualifies for a full rating when he reaches 100 Test wickets.
!indicates career-highest rating
For more information go to www.relianceiccrankings.com.
By: Editor
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