Sri Lanka will defend its number-one ranking on the Reliance ICC T20I Team Rankings when it takes on Pakistan in a two-match series at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai Sports City, on Wednesday.
Sri Lanka has remained in the number-one position since 8 October 2012 following the ICC World Twenty20 2012, where it reached the final. It leads fourth-ranked Pakistan by eight ratings points.
However, this will change if Pakistan manages to win both T20Is.
If Pakistan wins the series 2-0, then Mohammad Hafeez’ side will earn four ratings points while Dinesh Chandimal’s side will drop six ratings points. This swing will mean Pakistan will jump to the number-one position on 125 ratings points and Sri Lanka will join India and South Africa on 123 ratings points, but will be ranked above those sides when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point.
However, if the series result is reversed, then Sri Lanka will retain the number-one spot, and move to 133 ratings points while Pakistan will drop behind the West Indies into fifth position on 118 ratings points. If the series ends in a one-all draw, Sri Lanka will finish in the number-one spot on 128 ratings points and Pakistan will stay in fourth position on 121 ratings points.
Meanwhile, only two batsmen from either side feature in the top 20 of the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for T20I Batsmen. These are Tillakaratne Dilshan (12th), Kumar Sangakkara (16th) (both Sri Lanka), Mohammad Hafeez (19th) and Umar Akmal (20th) (both Pakistan).
Pakistan and Sri Lanka bowlers dominate the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for T20I Bowlers with Saeed Ajmal second, Ajantha Mendis third and Hafeez fourth. Outside the top 10 are Nuwan Kulasekara (11th), Shahid Afridi (12th), Angelo Mathews (18th) and Lasith Malinga (19th). Sohail Tanvir is in 26th position and will be aiming to break into the top 20.
Hafeez in second position is the highest-ranked player on the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for T20I All-rounders while Afridi is in fifth position. Hafeez trails Australia’s Shane Watson by 10 ratings points and can potentially top the rankings if he performs well with both bat and ball.
Mathews in 10th position is Sri Lanka’s highest-ranked all-rounder.
Reliance ICC T20I Rankings (as of 10 December, after Pakistan-Afghanistan T20I and before Pakistan-Sri Lanka T20I series)
Rank Team Rating
1 Sri Lanka 129
2 India 123
3 South Africa 123
4 Pakistan 121
5 West Indies 120
6 England 112
7 Australia 102
8 New Zealand 102
9 Ireland 87
10 Bangladesh 72
11 Afghanistan 70
12 Netherlands 56
13 Scotland 50
14 Zimbabwe 46
15 Kenya 42
16 Canada 2
Reliance ICC T20I Rankings (as of 9 December, after Pakistan v Afghanistan T20I)
Batsmen
Rank Player Team Pts Ave HS Rating
1 Alex Hales Eng 842! 39.11 842 v Aus at Durham 2013
2 B.McCullum NZ 786 35.50 849 v Ban at Pallekele 2012
3 Virat Kohli Ind 749*! 34.52 749 v Aus at Rajkot 2013
4 Shane Watson Aus 729 29.42 832 v SA at Colombo (RPS) 2012
5 David Warner Aus 728 28.63 826 v WI at St Lucia 2010
Selected Rankings
Rank Player Team Pts Ave HS Rating
12 T.Dilshan SL 684 30.78 802 v NZ at Colombo (RPS)
16 K.Sangakkara SL 656 32.37 763 v WI at Barbados 2010
19 M.Hafeez Pak 642 25.76 643 v SA at Centurion 2013
20 Umar Akmal Pak 623 28.63 709 v Zim at Harare 2011
21 A.Shehzad Pak 601* 27.15 634 v Zim at Harare 2013
41 Shahid Afridi Pak 455 18.09 537 v SA at Abu Dhabi 2010
51 Kusal Perera SL 395*! 28.85 395 v NZ at Pallekele 2013
53 A.Mathews SL 391* 24.90 412 v Ban at Pallekele 2013
79 Thisara Perera SL 302* 26.45 308 v SA at Hambantota 2013
Bowlers
Rank Player Team Pts Ave HS Rating
1 Sunil Narine WI 817! 16.75 817 v Pak at St. Vincent 2013
2 Saeed Ajmal Pak 708 17.12 788 v NZ at Pallekele 2012
3 Ajantha Mendis SL 686 12.96 762 v WI at Colombo (RPS) 2012
4 M.Hafeez Pak 679 21.34 689 v Zim at Harare 2013
5 Steven Finn Eng 667! 19.48 667 v Aus at Durham 2013
Selected Rankings
Rank Player Team Pts Ave HS Rating
11 N.Kulasekara SL 651 24.70 676 v Aus at Melbourne 2013
12 Shahid Afridi Pak 649 22.19 814 v SL at Colombo (RPS) 2009
18 A. Mathews SL 618 26.44 645 v SA at Colombo (RPS) 2013
19 Lasith Malinga SL 614 22.82 680 v Eng at Bristol 2011
26 Sohail Tanvir Pak 572 28.50 578 v SA at Dubai 2013
73 Thisara Perera SL 400* 26.05 407 v Ban at Pallekele 2013
All-rounders
Rank Player Team Pts HS Rating
1 Shane Watson Aus 446 557 v SA at Colombo (RPS) 2012
2 M.Hafeez Pak 436 440 v Zim at Harare 2013
3 Yuvraj Singh Ind 363 /*! 363 v Aus at Rajkot 2013
4 S. Al Hasan Ban 337*/ 350 v Zim at Bulawayo 2013
5 Shahid Afridi Pak 295 413 v NZ at Dubai 2009
