Pakistan pushed out of Top 8 in ODI Rankings

KARACHI: Azhar Ali and his men now have   a daunting task to retain their One-day Internatoinal   (ODI) ranking in the ‘Top Eight’   after being pushed out of the elite club following   annual update since only the top eight   sides on September 30 2017 will qualify directly   for cricket’s biggest event World Cup.   If ninth placed Pakistan fail to squeeze   into ‘Top Eight’ by the cut-off date then they   will have to join the top sides from the ICC   World Cricket League along with three other   bottom ranked sides in the ICC Cricket   World Cup Qualifier 2018 to fight for the two   remaining positions.   West Indies have exchanged places with   Pakistan after results from 2012-13 have   been dropped, while results from 2014-15   have been reduced to a weighting of 50 per   cent.   Although there will be another ODI team   rankings annual update prior to this cut-off   date, it is significant that from now on the results   of all ODIs that will affect qualification   will be weighted at 100 per cent whereas   matches played between May 2014 and April   2016 will by then be weighted at only 50 per   cent.   All the teams bunched together in the   middle of the table will have to win as many   matches as possible in the forthcoming season,   knowing it will help ensure direct qualification   for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019,   which will be staged from May 30 to July 15   in the United Kingdom. 

Meanwhile, Australia and New Zealand   have retained the top two positions. Australia,   who won their fifth World Cup title in   Melbourne last year, are now sitting on 124   points after dropping two points to lead New   Zealand by 11 points. South Africa have   swapped places with India to move into third   position.   Other sides to gain following the annual   update include sixth-ranked England (103,   up two), seventh-ranked Bangladesh (98, up   one), eighth-rankedWest Indies (88, up two),   10th-ranked Afghanistan (51, up four) and   11th-ranked Zimbabwe (47, up two).—PPI