Proteas set sights on No 3 ODI ranking

Cape Town - The Proteas can move into third place in the ICC ODI team rankings if they beat New Zealand in the upcoming three-match series which starts in Centurion on Wednesday.

Just a single point separates the two sides heading into the series and this will be their first meeting in 50-over cricket since the thrilling Cricket World Cup semi final in Auckland which the Black Caps won by four wickets.

South Africa, currently ranked at No 4 on the ODI rankings table, can move to within three points of second-placed India with a 3-0 win, while a 2-1 scoreline for AB de Villiers’s side would see them switch both points tally and places with the No 3-ranked Black Caps.

A whitewash in favour of Kane Williamson’s men, on the other side of the coin, can strengthen their third position in the rankings and reduce India’s lead to two points, while a 2-1 win would see them gain a point.

The ODI series starts in Centurion on Wednesday, with matches also scheduled for (Potchefstroom, August 23) and Durban (August 26).

ICC ODI Championship table (as of August 17, ahead of South Africa-New Zealand series):

 Rank   Team             Points

1          Australia          129

2          India                115

3          New Zealand   110

4          South Africa    109

5          Sri Lanka         103

6          England            98

7          Bangladesh      96

8          Pakistan           90

9          West Indies     88

10        Ireland             50

11        Zimbabwe       45

12        Afghanistan     41