England reclaim top spot in ODI rankings following successive wins against New Zealand
England are back on top of the ICC charts in the 50-over format of the game in the wake of New Zealand's ongoing disastrous campaign in neighbouring Australia. The Kiwis have lost two of three ODIs already but may move to tied first in the rankings again should they win the final encounter.
England's dominance in white-ball cricket over the past few years has seen them be a constant presence at the top of the charts in both ODIs and T20Is. However, a slump in form saw them lose the coveted first rank in ODIs in May last year to rivals New Zealand. Nevertheless, the reigning world champions are back to being the top-ranked ODI side in the world on the back of 10 victories in 13 encounters since, including series wins against Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands. New Zealand, meanwhile, have failed to get going in their ongoing tour of Australia, losing the thread of the game in crucial moments to fall to two successive defeats and thus seal a series loss.
In the first game, the Black Caps were firmly in the driver's seat after reducing Australia to 44-5 in their chase of 233. However, a 158-run stand between Alex Carey and Cameron Green saw the hosts eventually prevail with two wickets to spare. The second game had the Kangaroos in even deeper trouble as they could put just 195 runs on the board courtesy of Trent Boult's four-wicket haul. However, the Kiwis yet again crumbled spectacularly, taking 33 overs to score 82 runs before being bowled out to succumb to 113-run defeat.
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New Zealand's rating now reads 117, two points short of England's 119. They play the final ODI in Cairns on Sunday and a win will propel them to 119, albeit they will remain second in the charts owing to a much inferior ranking points tally. Both teams are scheduled to play no more ODIs henceforth until the end of the World T20 in November, ensuring the Three Lions stay in top for the foreseeable future.
Trailing the duo is the arch-rival pairing of India and Pakistan, who occupy third and fourth positions with ratings of 111 and 107 respectively. Australia have surged to fifth ahead of South Africa, while Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Afghanistan cap off the top 10.
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