CAPE TOWN – The Proteas have pipped India at the top of the ICC ODI team rankings by mere decimal points after taking a 2-0 winning lead in the three-match series in South Africa.
However, India will be looking to wrest back the top spot in the team rankings when they take on New Zealand in an upcoming three-match series, starting on Sunday.
South Africa and India are both on 120 points, with the Proteas ahead on decimal points.
South Africa can reach 121 points if they complete a 3-0 series win over Bangladesh, but India will overtake them if they win the opening match against New Zealand, to be played the same day as the last South Africa-Bangladesh match, also on Sunday.
Meanwhile, South Africa batsman AB de Villiers has once again grabbed the top position in the ICC ODI player rankings, while Pakistan’s Hasan Ali has emerged as a new number one among bowlers in the latest ranking updates announced on Friday.
An astonishing knock of 176 by De Villiers in the second ODI against Bangladesh in Paarl, which consisted of 15 fours and seven sixes and came off only 104 balls, has also helped.
The latest rankings, which take into account the first two matches of the South Africa-Bangladesh series and the first three matches of the ongoing Pakistan-Sri Lanka series in the United Arab Emirates, see De Villiers climb to the top of the ODI table for the 14th time in his career.
ICC ODI Team Rankings
1 South Africa 120
2 India 120
3 Australia 114
4 England 114
5 New Zealand 111
6 Pakistan 98
7 Bangladesh 92
8 Sri Lanka 84
9 West Indies 77
10 Afghanistan 54
11 Zimbabwe 52
12 Ireland 41