Proteas strengthen 2nd position
2008-08-04 12:06
London- The Proteas are guaranteed in retaining their position as the world's No 2 ranked country on the Reliance Mobile ICC Test rankings table regardless of the outcome of Thursday's final Test match of the series at the Brit Oval in London.
Victory in the third Test at Edgbaston on Saturday gave the Proteas a 2-0 lead in the four-match series plus the prestigious Basil d'Oliveira Trophy. The trophy has been held by England since they won the inaugural series in South Africa in 2004-05.
India are currently in third place and they will need to win their final Test against Sri Lanka, which starts on Friday, to keep on the Proteas' heels, one point adrift. At the moment that series is locked at 1-1.
On the individual rankings Dale Steyn has dropped down to third place among the bowlers behind Australia's Stuart Clark with Makhaya Ntini (6th) also in the top 10.
Batting list
Steyn will lose another 10% of his ratings points by not playing in the Brit Oval Test as he completes his recovery from injury.
In the batting list South Africa has three players inside the top 20 -Jacques Kallis in eighth spot, captain Graeme Smith (whose unbeaten 154 was the decisive innings of the third Test match, won by his side by five wickets) in 12th and Ashwell Prince lying in 15th.
Just outside that elite group the Proteas have three more players, AB de Villiers (22nd), Neil McKenzie (24th) and Hashim Amla (30th).
Kallis still leads the rankings for Test all-rounders, clear of New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori, but Flintoff has leapfrogged Dwayne Bravo of the West Indies and now holds third place.
- SAPA