All to play for as eight of top nine teams are in action in the coming weeks

England could drop as low as eighth in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table by the end of June if it loses both remaining matches against New Zealand and the West Indies begins its series with Australia in winning fashion.

Paul Collingwood’s men currently sit in sixth position on the table just ahead of Sri Lanka by a fraction of a ratings point. But if they suffer defeat to the Black Caps in the remaining two ODIs of the series, they will lose two points and fall to seventh.

Meanwhile, if a West Indies side that is showing signs of resurgence, can win the first three matches of its five-ODI series with the world champion, then it will most likely move into sixth position with England dropping to eighth.

The middle part of the rankings is very tightly congested at present with just eight ratings points separating New Zealand in third place and Sri Lanka in seventh.

At the top Australia will regain its number-one place if it beats the West Indies in the first match of the series, which takes place in St Vincent on Tuesday. Currently just behind South Africa by a fraction of a ratings point, Ricky Ponting’s team will be keen to get back on top after a short time as second best.

For the time being South Africa occupies the number-one position but with Graeme Smith’s side preparing for a Test series in England and not in ODI action again until 22 August, it will be at the mercy of other teams’ results.

Meanwhile, the Asia Cup also gets underway on Tuesday with Bangladesh playing the United Arab Emirates in Lahore and host Pakistan up against Hong Kong in Karachi. However, neither of those games counts towards the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship because the UAE and Hong Kong do not have a place on the table.

The first Asia Cup game that could affect the championship is Bangladesh against Sri Lanka at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Wednesday. Then on Thursday, Pakistan takes on India in an eagerly awaited clash in Karachi. The teams for the later stages of that tournament will be known in due course.

With eight of the top nine sides in ODI action over the coming fortnight, it’s likely we will see plenty of jostling for position as the action unfolds.

Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship (as of 22 June 2008)

Rank Team Rating

1 South Africa 127
2 Australia 127
3 New Zealand 113
4 India 113
5 Pakistan 111
6 England 105
7 Sri Lanka 105
8 West Indies 99
9 Bangladesh 46
10 Ireland 20
11 Zimbabwe 18
12 Kenya 0