DUBAI: India’s back-to-back title triumphs has helped the world champion team retain its top position in the ICC ODI rankings following the annual update of the list announced on Friday.
After a successful ICC Champions Trophy campaign in England, India also emerged victorious in the just-concluded tri-series in the West Indies.
The annual update was released after the conclusion of the tri-series, featuring the hosts, India and Sri Lanka. India, which recently won the ICC Champions Trophy, has been in the number one position since February 2013, when it beat England 3-2 at home to regain the top place.
At the June ICC board meeting, the ICC board agreed to change the ODI rankings period from three years to four years to ensure that all ODIs played over the four-year cycle between ICC Cricket World Cups count towards a team’s ranking at the next event.
The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 will be a 10-team event, and only the top eight sides on the rankings table will gain automatic qualification.
The other teams will have to battle for a place via the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier in 2018.
India are atop the table with 122 rating points, ahead of Australia (114) and third placed of England (112). (PTI)