The number-two position on the Reliance ICC ODI Team Rankings Table will be up for grabs when England and Australia go head to head in a five-ODI series that starts in Headingley, Leeds, on Friday before the two teams meet in Cardiff for the potentially decisive fourth contest on 14 September.
Australia, with 114 ratings points, currently occupies second spot on the championship table, while England is just two ratings points behind in third spot. This means the equation for Australia to retain second spot or for England to claim second position is simple - win the series.
If Australia wins the series 3-2, then both sides will retain their pre-series rankings and ratings, but, if England notches up a series win, then the two sides will swap places with Eoin Morgan's side rising to 113 ratings points and Michael Clarke's side slipping to 112 ratings points.
World champion India is sitting on the top of the tree with 123 ratings points, nine ratings points clear of its closest rival, Australia.
Meanwhile, England captain Eoin Morgan has re-entered the top 20 of the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI Batsmen in the latest update announced on Wednesday following the Dublin and Edinburgh ODIs on Tuesday.
Morgan has been rewarded for his unbeaten match-winning knock of 124 against Ireland in the one-off ODI in Dublin with a jump of four places that has now put him in 20th. He is the second England batsman in the top 20 after Jonathon Trott (fifth) who will feature in the forthcoming series.
Australia's George Bailey, who is currently in a qualification period,* is the other batsman inside the top 20 to make an upward move. Bailey had entered the series trailing 15th ranked Brendon McCullum by six ratings points and though the Australian scored only 10 not out against Scotland, it was enough for him to earn eight ratings points and move into 14th position.
Bailey will be one of the three Australia batsmen in the top twenty, behind Shane Watson (11th) and Michael Clarke (12th), to figure in the series against England.
Outside the top 20, England's Ravi Bopara, Ireland captain William Porterfield and Australia's duo of Shaun Marsh and Aaron Finch have made upward movements following centuries on Tuesday.
Bopara, who scored 101 not out, has gained nine places and is now in 53rd spot, Porterfield's 112 has provided him a leap of 13 places into 64th position, and Marsh's 151 has put him in 68th spot after rising 13 places.
Aaron Finch, who is in Australia's squad for the ODI series, has marched his way to the top by rocketing 91 places to 152nd after a 116-ball 148.
The Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI Batsmen is still headed by South Africa's Hashim Amla with his captain AB de Villiers in second place and Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara in third position.
Australia's Mitchell Johnson has moved up a place to 14th in the Reliance Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI Bowlers in the only change inside the top 20.
Outside the top 20, James Tredwell in 31st (up by two), Boyd Rankin in 46th (up by four) and Majid Haq in 62nd (up by two) are the other bowlers to move in the right direction.
Tickets are still available for the fourth ODI in Cardiff England v Australia on Saturday 14th September call 02920 419 311
The Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI Bowlers is still jointly headed by Ravindra Jadeja and Sunil Narine with Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal in third place.
Upcoming Fixtures
England v Australia
6 Sep: 1st ODI, Headingley, Leeds
8 Sep: 2nd ODI, Old Trafford, Manchester
11 Sep: 3rd ODI, Edgbaston, Birmingham (D/N)
14 Sep: 4th ODI, Cardiff
16 Sep: 5th ODI, Southampton (D/N)
Reliance ICC ODI Rankings (as on 3 September) (after Ireland-England ODI)
1 India 123
2 Australia 114
3 (-) England 112
4 Sri Lanka 111
5 South Africa 105
6 Pakistan 101
7 New Zealand 89
8 West Indies 89
9 Bangladesh 76
10 Zimbabwe 55
11 Ireland 38
12 Netherlands 13
13 Kenya 10
Reliance ICC ODI Player Rankings (as on 4 September) (after Ireland-England and Scotland-Australia ODIs)
Batsmen
1 ( - ) Hashim Amla SA 853
2 ( - ) AB de Villiers SA 845
3 ( - ) K Sangakkara SL 829
4 ( - ) Virat Kohli Ind 819
5 ( - ) Jonathan Trott Eng 785
6 ( - ) T Dilshan SL 746
7 ( - ) MS Dhoni Ind 741
8 ( - ) Misbah-ul-Haq Pak 722
9 ( - ) Alastair Cook Eng 675
10 ( - ) Ross Taylor NZ 669
11 ( - ) Shane Watson Aus 667
12 ( - ) Michael Clarke Aus 665
13 (+1) Martin Guptill NZ 661
14 (+4) George Bailey Aus 657*
15 ( - ) B McCullum NZ 655
16= ( - ) Umar Akmal Pak 654
( - ) Suresh Raina Ind 654
18 (-5) Paul Stirling Ire 650
19 ( - ) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 637
20 (+4) Eoin Morgan Ire/Eng 634
Selected Rankings
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Ave HS Rating
39 (-1) Kevin Pietersen Eng 563
40 (-1) Joe Root Eng 561*
53 (+9) Ravi Bopara Eng 528
68 (+13) Shaun Marsh Aus 497*
73 (-2) Adam Voges Aus 482*
84 ( - ) Glenn Maxwell Aus 458*
Bowlers
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts
1= ( - ) Ravindra Jadeja Ind 733
( - ) Sunil Narine WI 733*
3 ( - ) Saeed Ajmal Pak 723
4 ( - ) Steven Finn Eng 714
5 ( - ) James Anderson Eng 710
6 ( - ) Rangana Herath SL 699
7 ( - ) Clint McKay Aus 688
8 ( - ) L Tsotsobe SA 673
9 ( - ) M Hafeez Pak 666
10 ( - ) Abdur Razzak Ban 663
11 ( - ) Kyle Mills NZ 656
12 ( - ) Morne Morkel SA 644
13 ( - ) Kemar Roach WI 642
14= (+1) Mitchell Johnson Aus 636
( - ) Dale Steyn SA 636
16 (-1) Daniel Vettori NZ 632
17 ( - ) N Kulasekara SL 622
18 ( - ) R Ashwin Ind 621
19 ( - ) Angelo Mathews SL 616
20= (+1) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 608
(+1) B Kumar Ind 608*
Selected Rankings
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts
31 (+2) James Tredwell Eng 565*
34 (-1) Shane Watson Aus 555
46 (+4) Boyd Rankin Ire/Eng 513*
75 (+2) Ravi Bopara Eng 429*
For more information go to www.relianceiccrankings.com.
