India, Australia battle for ODI top spot ahead of World Cup

Virat Kohli (left) with Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Photograph: BCCI

Australia and India will have the chance to put daylight between one another at the top of the Intenational Cricket Council ODI team rankings, when they compete alongside England in a tri-series, which starts in Sydney on Friday.

- Meet India's 15-member World Cup squad

Australia will be keen to edge a point clear of India at the top of the One-Day International team rankings when they clash with England in the opening match at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday.

It will be a dress rehearsal for the eagerly anticipated Cricket World Cup 2015 opening match, which will see the same sides play each other in exactly 30 days' time in Melbourne.

Following its 5-0 home series victory over Sri Lanka in November, reigning champion India will be bidding to gain further momentum and become only the third side in World Cup history to successfully defend its title after West Indies in 1975 and 1979 and Australia, who won the coveted prize three times in succession between 1999 and 2007.

- ICC World Cup schedule

Meanwhile, South Africa is bidding to lift the 50-over title for the first time after reaching the semi-finals when Australia and New Zealand last hosted the World Cup back in 1992.

The Proteas will welcome West Indies to Durban on Friday in the first of a five-match ODI series, which will feature two of the world's top three batsmen in the ICC Player Rankings for ODI Batsmen.

South Africa captain AB de Villiers is in pole position in the batting rankings on 887 points, a good 25 points clear off second-placed India batsman Virat Kohli, with Hashim Amla one place further back in third.

There are several permutations that could emerge over the coming weeks as New Zealand and Sri Lanka are also battling it out in their seven-match series, with the Black Caps currently holding a 1-0 lead after its three-wicket victory in the first ODI on Sunday.

After this series, New Zealand will complete its World Cup preparations when it plays host to Pakistan – who lifted the trophy back in 1992 - in two ODIs ahead of its opening game of the tournament in Christchurch against Sri Lanka, also on February 14.

Reliance ICC ODI Team Rankings (as on 14 January):

1	Australia	117
2	India	117
3	South Africa	112
4	Sri Lanka	109
5	England	104
6	New Zealand	99
7	Pakistan	97
8	West Indies	96
9	Bangladesh	75
10	Zimbabwe	53
11	Ireland	39
12	Afghanistan	38

Reliance ICC ODI Player Rankings for Batsmen:

Rank	Player	Team	Points	Ave	HS Rating
1	AB de Villiers	SA	887	51.50	891 v Aus at Melbourne 2014
2	Virat Kohli	Ind	862	52.61	886 v Ban at Fatullah 2014
3	Hashim Amla	SA	828	53.18	901 v Eng at Trent Bridge 2012
4	K. Sangakkara	SL	801	40.53	853 v Afg at Mirpur 2014
5	Shikhar Dhawan	Ind	777	45.46	785 v SL at Hyderabad 2014
6	George Bailey	Aus	771	44.20	867 v SA at Harare 2014
7	Quinton de Kock	SA	749*!	43.58	749 v Aus at Sydney 2014
8=	MS Dhoni	Ind	738	52.85	836 v Aus at Delhi 2009
8=	T. Dilshan	SL	738	38.23	767 v Pak at Sharjah 2013
10	K. Williamson	NZ	734	42.91	746 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2014
11	Ross Taylor	NZ	718	41.26	722 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2014
12	Joe Root	Eng	688!	41.61	688 v SL at Colombo 2014
13	Angelo Mathews	SL	680	40.32	707 v Eng at Colombo 2014
14	Misbah-ul-Haq	Pak	658	42.83	744 v SL at Fatullah 2014
15	F. du Plessis	SA	657	34.40	703 v NZ at Bay Oval 2014
16=	Rohit Sharma	Ind	651	37.89	672 v WI at Kochi 2013
16=	Aaron Finch	Aus	651*!	37.25	651 v SA at Sydney 2014
18	Ahmed Shehzad	Pak	649	34.81	670 v Ban at Mirpur 2014
19	Shane Watson	Aus	648	40.75	773 v SL at Hambantota 2011
20	Suresh Raina	Ind	639	35.82	669 v Eng at Dharamsala 2013

Reliance ICC ODI Player Rankings for Bowlers:

Rank	Player	Team	Points	Ave	Econ	HS Rating
1	Sunil Narine	WI	753	26.49	4.10	791 v SL at Jamaica 2013
2	Saeed Ajmal	Pak	751	22.18	4.13	810 v SA at Centurion 2013
3	Dale Steyn	SA	699	25.65	4.83	746 v Ind at Durban 2013
4=	Shakib Al Hasan	Ban	680	27.92	4.26	717 v Zim at Chittagong 2009
4=	M. Johnson	Aus	680	25.72	4.82	724 v Ban at Darwin 2008
6	James Anderson	Eng	666	29.10	4.94	719 v SA at The Oval 2013
7	S. Senanayake	SL	656!	32.00	4.56	656 v NZ at Christchurch 2015
8	B. Kumar	Ind	641	36.59	4.60	657 v WI at Dharamsala 2014
9	Ravindra Jadeja	Ind	638	32.29	4.79	738 v Zim at Bulawayo 2013
10	M. Hafeez	Pak	634	35.01	4.06	769 v Ind at Kolkata 2013
11	Morne Morkel	SA	632	24.27	4.94	717 v SL at East London 2012
12	James Tredwell	Eng	629	27.81	4.77	646 v SL at Pallekele 2014
13	Clint McKay	Aus	624	24.37	4.78	709 v Eng at Cardiff 2013
14=	Rangana Herath	SL	617	31.13	4.42	703 v SA at Pallekele 2013
14=	R. Ashwin	Ind	617	32.46	4.89	691 v SL at Hambantota 2012
16	M. Irfan	Pak	616	29.51	4.85	621 v NZ at Abu Dhabi 2014
17	L. Tsotsobe	SA	613	24.96	4.75	743 v NZ at Auckland 2012
18	Shahid Afridi	Pak	611	33.89	4.62	673 v Ban at Mirpur 2011
19	M. Shami	Ind	609	26.08	5.74	636 v WI at Delhi 2014
20	Kemar Roach	WI	608	26.85	4.90	650 v Pak at St Lucia 2013

Reliance ICC ODI Player Rankings for All-rounders:

Rank	Player	Team	Points	HS Rating
1	Shakib Al Hasan	Ban	403	453 v Zim at Chittagong 2009
2	M Hafeez	Pak	397	438 v Ind at Kolkata 2013
3	Angelo Mathews	SL	395	427 v Eng at Colombo (RPS) 2014
4	T Dilshan	SL	390!	390 v NZ at Christchurch 2015
5	Shahid Afridi	Pak	340	383 v Ban at Mirpur 2011

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