Durban - The Proteas have their task cut out in the upcoming two-Test series against New Zealand starting at Kingsmead on Friday, which they need to win by any margin to overtake the opposition and move up two slots in the ICC Team Rankings.
South Africa, who have never lost a Test series to New Zealand, currently have 92 points and are placed seventh in the list led by newly-crowned India while New Zealand are fifth with 99 points.
Sri Lanka, who completed a 3-0 whitewash over Australia in a home series on Wednesday, are in sixth position at 95 points.
A 2-0 win for South Africa in the series to be played in Durban and Centurion will lift it to fifth position with 98 points and will see New Zealand slip to seventh position with 94 points. Even a 1-0 win for South Africa will see them climb to fifth with 96 points, leaving New Zealand with 95 points and behind Sri Lanka on decimal points at seventh position.
On the other hand, a 2-0 win for New Zealand will carry it to 103 points and a 1-0 win to 102 points, but neither will be enough to take it above fifth rank. South Africa will remain in seventh position in either scenario with a tally of 86 and 88 points, respectively. Even a 1-1 draw will keep New Zealand in fifth position with 98 points and South Africa at their current 92 points.
Meanwhile Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Rangana Herath has returned to the top five of the bowlers Test rankings after registering his seventh 10-wicket haul which helped Sri Lanka to win the third Test by 163 runs and the series 3-0 against Australia.
Herath, 38, recorded figures of 6/81 and 7/64 in the Colombo Test, which has helped him to move three places up to fifth in the latest rankings which were released on Thursday morning.
The bowlers' list is headed by England's James Anderson, who leads India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin by 12 points. Dale Steyn is third, 17 points behind the Indian off-spinner.
Top South African in the batting rankings is still Hashim Amla, who is fourth, with AB de Villiers moving up to sixth. - African News Agency (ANA)