AUSTRALIA REGAINS NUMBER-ONE ODI RANKING

Four-time World Champion Australia on Sunday returned to the top of the one-Day International Team Rankings, displacing India, after defeating South Africa 4-1 in a five-match series, as per the latest International Cricket Council release.

Australia started the series in third position on 114 ratings points but equalled India’s 117 points, claiming the top spot by 0.2 points when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point.
Australia moved five ratings points clear of South Africa, which dropped one place to third after the defeat in the series, which concluded in Sydney on Sunday.

South Africa moved ahead of Australia last month, following its 2-0 victory over New Zealand. Australia are scheduled to participate in a Jan 16 – Feb 1 triangular series with India and England, starting in Melbourne.

With just one ranking point separating them, fourth-placed Sri Lanka hosts fifth-ranked England in a seven match series, starting in Colombo on Wednesday.