IRELAND LOOKS TO GAIN GROUND

It’s a busy time for the Associate ODI teams over the coming weeks with all six in action at various stages and there’s plenty of scope for movement on the ICC Associates ODI Rankings table.

That table, which is calculated on win percentage and success against Full Members as well as other Associates, offers a pathway to the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship.

Scotland currently lies in top spot on 61 per cent, just two percentage points clear of the Netherlands in second with Canada occupying third position and Bermuda fourth. But above those, top Associates Ireland and Kenya are mixing it with the big boys having won places on the ICC ODI Championship table.

Ireland is currently in 10^th position on 20 ratings points, some 26 points behind Bangladesh in ninth place but two in front of Zimbabwe in 11^th. Kenya is in 12^th spot.

On Saturday, Canada and Bermuda go head to head in King City, near Toronto in the first match of three-match series at the Ontario venue. Bermuda can leap-frog its host into third place if it wins all three matches in the series.

Ireland and Scotland are involved in an ODI tri-series that also includes Full Member New Zealand, starting with the Irish taking on the Black Caps at Mannofield Park, Aberdeen on Tuesday. A win for Ireland would give it a seven-point boost in the rankings, closing the gap on Bangladesh.

The following day, the two Associate rivals play each other at the same venue before the home side takes on Daniel Vettori and his men, the final fixture of a New Zealand tour that began back on 27 April with a one-day game against the MCC at Arundel Castle.

Then, later in July, the Netherlands will join in the fun as the European Championships Division 1 take place in Dublin from 28 to 31 July, playing ODIs against Scotland and host Ireland. With the Dutchmen so close behind Scotland on the table, they will be targeting wins in those matches to put them top of the ladder.

There will then be another ODI tri-series involving Canada, Bermuda and the West Indies in Toronto not long after Canada and Bermuda return from the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, which will take place in Belfast from 2-4 August.

Kenya has an exciting tour of Europe planned with the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in Belfast followed by ICC Intercontinental Cup matches against Scotland in Glasgow (7-10 August) and the Netherlands in Amstelveen (16-19 August) as well as ODIs against the Scots on 12 and 13 August, both in Ayr.

Scotland will also play an ODI against England in Edinburgh on 18 August.

Meanwhile, Australia has regained top spot on the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table with its win over the West Indies in the first ODI on Tuesday.

Ricky Ponting’s team now sit one point ahead of South Africa but with four more ODIs to come in the series, not to mention five ODIs that the Proteas will be playing against England before the end of the northern summer, that situation could well change before the top eight sides in the world meet in Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy in September.

With one match remaining in the ODI series between England and New Zealand the home team has dropped down to seventh position following its one-wicket defeat to the Black Caps at The Oval. It is still very close in the middle section of the table with just 10 points separating the Kiwis in third position and England in seventh.

Indeed, it’s so close that England can regain sixth spot from Sri Lanka if it wins the final ODI of the series at Lord’s on Saturday so although it cannot win the series outright, there is still plenty to play for.

ICC Associate ODI Rankings (as of 26 June)

In January 2006, six Associate teams were provided with ODI status for their one-day matches played against each other and against the 10 Full Members. Ireland and Kenya have now been promoted to the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table and the other four Associates with ODI status also have the opportunity to be promoted to that table. They can do this through a formula that also sees them ranked on the ICC Associate ODI Rankings table.

Teams are ranked on the Associate ODI Ranking Table above according to the following criteria:

• highest win percentage in qualifying matches (highlighted above), then if equal
• most wins achieved against Full Members (highlighted above), then if equal
• most wins achieved in qualifying matches, then if equal
• fewest defeats in qualifying matches

There is a rolling three-four year qualifying period for matches on the ICC Associate ODI Rankings table. At the beginning of August each year, the ICC Associate ODI Rankings will be updated to exclude all matches played more than three years previously.

Once an Associate ODI team has played at least 10 matches, including both qualifying matches and ODIs against Full Members (highlighted above as Total ODIs), in the three-four year qualifying period, it has the opportunity to be promoted to the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table.

To gain this promotion, the Associate must either achieve two wins in ODIs against Full Members or achieve one win in an ODI against a Full Member and also have won more than 60 per cent of qualifying matches.

Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship (as of 26 June 2008)

Rank   Team                           Rating

1          Australia                       128

2          South Africa                 127

3          New Zealand                114

4          India                             113

5          Pakistan                        111

6          Sri Lanka                      105

7          England                        104

8          West Indies                    99

9          Bangladesh                    46

10        Ireland                           20

11        Zimbabwe                      18

12        Kenya                              0

(Developed by David Kendix)

For more information go to www.iccreliancerankings.com.