November 21, 2008
West Indies have lost the sparkleM J Manohar Rao and Srinivas Bhogle
There was a time when the West Indies didn't know how to lose a cricket match but now their players don't seem to know how to win one, unless there are a million dollars to be earned by defeating a confused 'England' team.
The 3-0 loss to Pakistan means that West Indies (37.03) are almost at the bottom of the Rediff ODI rankings. Pakistan (51.30) are placed fifth, but will find it hard to climb any higher especially if they receive no help from the Lahore Badshahs.
India (58.85) are currently fourth, and, given the quality of the current team, should soon settle down for a long stay at the top -- matching wits with Australia (70.66) and South Africa (62.35). It will however take India a little longer to definitively break into the top three of the Rediff ODI rankings.
This is because the Rediff ODI rankings are not as volatile as the official Reliance Mobile ODI Rankings -- although they provide more stable estimates of a team's ODI performance.
A lot of readers insist that they will only recognize the "official" ICC rankings. This is indeed a reasonable view; but we must note that while a ranking scheme can be made "official", it need not be the "best".
Table A shows the current ODI rankings.
| TABLE A: CURRENT ODI RANKINGS (as on November 21, 2008) |
| Team |
WI |
TI |
ODI RBI=
WI * 0.80 + TI * 0.20 |
diff: 12.9 -> 21.11.08/font> |
Ranking |
| Australia |
68.32 |
80.00 |
70.66 |
-0.95 |
1 |
| South Africa |
57.94 |
80.00 |
62.35 |
-1.96 |
2 |
| New Zealand |
59.86 |
66.67 |
61.22 |
+2.55 |
3 |
| India |
54.81 |
75.00 |
58.85 |
+3.55 |
4 |
| Pakistan |
48.50 |
62.50 |
51.30 |
+3.90 |
5 |
| Sri Lanka |
48.96 |
33.33 |
45.83 |
+1.76 |
6 |
| England |
46.08 |
33.33 |
43.53 |
-4.97 |
7 |
| West Indies |
36.29 |
40.00 |
37.03 |
-2.07 |
8 |
| Zimbabwe |
10.72 |
0.00 |
8.58 |
+0.22 |
9 |
| Bangladesh |
9.84 |
0.00 |
7.87 |
+0.02 |
10 |
The corresponding Reliance Mobile ICC ODI rankings (as on November 21, 2008) are Australia (131), South Africa (119), India (117), Pakistan (114), New Zealand (113), England (111), Sri Lanka (105),West Indies (91), Bangladesh (47) and Zimbabwe (15).
Details
To be fair, it is almost impossible to define a 'perfect' ranking scheme in any sport. However schemes that use reasonable evaluation criteria, and the most appropriate datasets, usually give the best results.
This Rediff ODI rating, now published regularly for almost seven years, is a judicious combination of every team's weighted index (WI) and tournament index (TI).
The WI, based on the most recent ODI encounters between every pair of teams as shown in Table B, is essentially a weighted average that considers the 'opposition strength' (because wins against strong opponents must be rewarded more) and the 'home-away-neutral' factors (because teams usually win more at home, and lose more playing 'away').
The TI factors in a team's performance in tournaments and series (and thereby seeks to better reward wins in 'big' matches).
| TABLE B: ODI
SCORECARD (as on November 21, 2008; used to compute WI) |
| |
| |
Aus |
Ban |
Eng |
Ind |
NZ |
Pak |
RSA |
SL |
WI |
Zim |
|
Australia |
H
A
N
|
|
3 /
3
3 / 3
3 /
4
|
3 /
6
4 / 7
2 /
2
|
2.5/6
4.5/7
1.5 /
2
|
2.5/3
0 / 3
2 /
2
|
4 /
5
0 / 0
1 /
1
|
3 / 4
2 /
5
2 / 2
|
3 / 4
3 /
5
4 / 4
|
2.5/3
5 /
5
3 / 5
|
3.5/4
4
/ 4
0 / 0
|
| Bangladesh |
H
A
N
|
0 / 3
0 / 3
1 /
4
|
|
0 /
3
0 / 3
0 /
1
|
0 / 3
0
/ 0
1 / 3
|
0 /
3
0 / 3
0 /
3
|
0 / 4
0
/ 6
0 / 2
|
0 /
3
0 / 2
1 /
2
|
1 /
3
0 / 3
0 /
4
|
0.5/3
0 / 4
0 /
2
|
5 /
5
5 / 9
1 /
1
|
| England |
H
A
N
|
3 /7
3 / 6
0 /
2
|
3 /
3
3 / 3
1 /
1
|
|
4 / 7
1
/ 7
0 / 2
|
1.5/5
1.5/5
2 /
5
|
2.5/5
2
/ 5
1 / 1
|
4 /
4
2 / 7
0 /
1
|
0 /
5
3 / 5
3 /
5
|
1 /
3
3.5/6
1 /
1
|
1.5/3
4 / 4
1 /
1
|
| India |
H
A
N
|
2.5/7
3.5/6
0.5 /
2
|
0 /
0
3 / 3
1 /
3
|
6/
7
3 / 7
2 /
2
|
|
1.5/3
2 / 7
1 /
3
|
3 /
5
5 / 7
2 /
4
|
2 / 4
0
/ 4
2 / 3
|
2 /
3
3 / 5
3.5/
6
|
3 /
5
1 / 5
3 /
4
|
3 /
5
2 / 2
4 /
4
|
| New Zealand |
H
A
N
|
3 /
3
0.5/3
0 /
2
|
3 / 3
3 /
3
3 / 3
|
3.5/5
3.5/5
3 / 5
|
5 /
7
1.5/3
2 /
3
|
|
4 /
5
0 / 5
1 /
1
|
5 /
6
1/3
2 /
2
|
2/4
0 / 0
0 /
2
|
4 /
5
2.5/6
3 /
4
|
1 /
3
2 / 2
1 /
1
|
| Pakistan |
H
A
N
|
0 /
0
1 / 5
0 /
1
|
6 /
6
4 / 4
2 /
2
|
3 /
5
2.5/5
0 /
1
|
2 /
7
2 / 5
2 /
4
|
5 /
5
1 / 5
0 /
1
|
|
2 /
5
1 / 4
0 /
1
|
2 /
4
2.5/3
2 /
3
|
3 /
4
3 / 4
3 / 3
|
5 /
5
5 / 5
3 /
3
|
| South Africa |
H
A
N
|
3 /5
1 / 4
2 / 2
|
2 /2
3 / 3
1 / 2
|
5 / 7
0 /
4
1 / 1
|
4 / 4
2/
4
1 / 3
|
2/3
1 / 6
0 /
2
|
3 /
4
3 / 5
1 /
1
|
|
4.5/6
0 / 5
4 /
6
|
5/5
6 /
6
0 / 1
|
3 /
3
3 / 3
3 /
3
|
| Sri Lanka |
H
A
N
|
2 /
5
1 / 4
0 /
4
|
3 /
3
2 / 3
4 /
4
|
2 /
5
5 / 5
2 /
5
|
2 /
5
1 / 3
2.5 /
6
|
0 /
0
2 / 4
2 /
2
|
0.5/3
2 / 4
1 /
3
|
5 /
5
1.5/6
2 /
6
|
|
1 /
2
0.5/3
1 /
1
|
2 /
2
5 / 5
1 /
1
|
| West Indies |
H
A
N
|
0 / 5
0.5/3
2 / 5
|
4 / 4
2.5/3
2 / 2
|
2.5/6
2 / 3
0 /
1
|
4 / 5
2 / 5
1 /
4
|
3.5/6
1 / 5
1 /
4
|
1 / 4
1 / 4
0 / 3
|
0 / 6
0/5
1 / 1
|
2.5/3
1 / 2
0 /
1
|
|
6.5/7
3 / 4
1 /
1
|
| Zimbabwe |
H
A
N
|
0 /
4
0.5/4
0 / 0
|
4 /
9
0 / 5
0 / 1
|
0 /
4
1.5/3
0 /
1
|
0 /
2
2 / 5
0 /
4
|
0 /
2
2 / 3
0 /
1
|
0 /
5
0 / 5
0 /
3
|
0 /
3
0 / 3
0 /
3
|
0 /
5
0 / 2
0 /
1
|
1 /
4
0.5/7
0 /
1
|
|
The TI is currently based on a time 'window' spanning the last 12-13 months; i.e. the period November 2007 to November 2008 (see Table C).
| TABLE C: TOURNAMENT POINTS TALLY (as on November 21, 2008; used to compute TI) |
| Team |
I vs P
Nov 07 |
NZ vs SA
Nov-
Dec 07 |
WI vs
Z
Nov-
Dec 07 |
A vs NZ
Dec 07 |
NZ vs B
Dec 07 |
P vs Z
Jan 08 |
SA vs WI
Jan-
Feb 08 |
NZ vs E
Feb 08 |
CB Ser
Feb-
Mar 08 |
B vs SA
Mar 08 |
WI vs SL
Apr 08 |
P vs B
Apr 08 |
KitPly
Ser
Jun 08 |
E vs NZ
Jun 08 |
WI vs A
Jun-
Jul 08 |
Asia
Cup
Jun-
Jul 08 |
SL vs I
Aug 08 |
E vs SA
Aug-
Sep 08 |
A vs B
Aug-
Sep 08 |
B vs NZ
Oct 08 |
SA vs B
Nov 08 |
WI vs
P
Nov 08 |
Score |
TI |
| Australia |
|
|
|
1 / 1; |
|
|
|
|
1 / 2 |
|
|
|
|
|
1 / 1 |
|
|
|
1 / 1 |
|
|
|
4 / 5
|
80.00 |
| Bangladesh |
|
|
|
|
0 / 1 |
|
|
|
|
0 / 1 |
|
0 / 1 |
0 / 2 |
|
|
0 / 2 |
|
|
0 / 1 |
0 / 1 |
0 / 1 |
|
0 /
10 |
0.00 |
| England |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 / 1 |
|
|
|
|
|
0 / 1 |
|
|
|
1 / 1 |
|
|
|
|
1 /
3 |
33.33 |
| India |
1 / 1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 / 2 |
|
|
|
1 / 2 |
|
|
1 / 2 |
1 / 1 |
|
|
|
|
|
6 /
8 |
75.00 |
| New
Zealand |
|
0 / 1 |
|
0 / 1 |
1 / 1 |
|
|
1 / 1 |
|
|
|
|
|
1 / 1 |
|
|
|
|
|
1 / 1 |
|
|
4 /
6 | 66.67 |
| Pakistan |
0 / 1 |
|
|
|
|
1 / 1 |
|
|
|
|
|
1 / 1 |
2 / 2 |
|
|
0 / 2 |
|
|
|
|
|
1 / 1 |
5 /
8 |
62.50 |
| South
Africa |
|
1 / 1 |
|
|
|
|
1 / 1 |
|
|
1 / 1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 / 1 |
|
|
1 / 1 |
|
4 /
5 |
80.00 |
| Sri
Lanka |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 / 2 |
|
0 / 1 |
|
|
|
|
2 / 2 |
0 / 1 |
|
|
|
|
|
2 /
6 |
33.33 |
| West
Indies |
|
|
1 / 1 |
|
|
|
0 / 1 |
|
|
|
1 / 1 |
|
|
|
0 / 1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 / 1 |
2 /
5 |
40.00 |
| Zimbabwe |
|
|
0 / 1 |
|
|
0 / 1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 /
2 |
0.00 |
We now await the results of the ongoing Zimbabwe-Sri Lanka and India-England series.
|
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