SOUTH Africa and Australia switch to the shorter format of the game this week with the beginning of their five-match ODI series in South Africa.

Graeme Smith’s side will go into the opening match at Kingsmead in Durban as the current holders of the number-one spot in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship and will be keen to maintain that position.

Ricky Ponting’s men will have a tough time knocking the Proteas off the top spot on their home turf. However, if the Australians win the series they will leapfrog them to the top of the table.

If Smith’s side was to win the series 5-0 it would cement its place at the top of the table by a further six points and if it wins with a margin of four wins or three wins, it would still maintain its top spot.

Should the series feature a tie and then each side wins two matches each, the South Africans will still keep the top ranking but will only be one point ahead of Australia.

Looking further down the table, the West Indies and England play their final ODI tomorrow in St Lucia but neither side’s rankings will alter no matter who is victorious.

However, if the West Indies wins it will gain two ratings point but maintain its eighth place while England will remain in sixth place with a fraction of decimal-point lead on Sri Lanka.

If Andrew Strauss’s side wins the final ODI it will gain an extra rating point and keep its sixth place spot with a two-point margin over Sri Lanka.

As regards to the Reliance Mobile ICC player rankings for ODI batsmen, Australia’s Michael Hussey will be looking to reduce India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s lead at the top of the table.

Currently, the batsmen are 17 rating points apart, but some good performances from the 33-year-old could see India’s wicketkeeper feeling the heat from the Australian.

Further down the table, Smith will be aiming to push up from seventh place and his opposite number, Ponting is currently 10th beneath Smith’s team-mate AB de Villiers. There is plenty of potential for all of the batsmen to move up or down to the table.

Ponting’s deputy, Michael Clarke, is currently sitting just outside the top 20, in 21st position and will be aiming to break back into the top 20 during this series.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, Australia’s Nathan Bracken is only 24 points behind Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Kulasekara. The 31-year-old New South Welshman will be hoping a strong performance during this series will see him catapult into the top position.

Bracken’s team-mate Mitchell Johnson is currently sat in eighth place and will be aiming to rise up the rankings and carry his strong form in the Test series through to the shorter format of the game.

South Africa’s vice-captain Johan Botha will be looking to further improve his current ranking of 11th, after he recently broke into the top 20 during South Africa’s tour to Australia at the beginning of the year. 

Botha’s team-mate, Makhaya Ntini is the next closest ranked bowler from South Africa in the list currently sitting at 24 in the rankings. The 31-year-old fast bowler currently has 265 ODI wickets to his name and a good performance in the shorter format of the game could see him rise back into the top 20.

As regards the Reliance Mobile ICC rankings for ODI all-rounders, South Africa’s Jacques Kallis currently sits just outside the top five in sixth place but has the potential, should he return to the side after a groin strain, to push New Zealand’s Jacob Oram out of the fifth place spot.

Upcoming ODI Fixtures

April 3 – West Indies v England (ODI), St Lucia

April 3 D/N – South Africa v Australia (ODI), Durban

April 5 – South Africa v Australia (ODI), Centurion

April 9 D/N – South Africa v Australia (ODI), Cape Town

April 13 – South Africa v Australia (ODI), Port Elizabeth

April 17 – South Africa v Australia (ODI), Johannesburg

Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship (as of March 29)

Rank   Team                          Rating
1.          South Africa                  125
2.          Australia                        124
3.          India                              122
4.          New Zealand                 112
5.          Pakistan                        111
6.          England                         107
7.          Sri Lanka                      105
8.          West Indies                  92
9.          Bangladesh                    46
10.        Zimbabwe                     23
11.        Ireland                           19
12         Kenya                           0