Sri Lanka and Bangladesh go head to head with an eye on World Cup 2019

ISLAMABAD: Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will lock horns in a three-match ODI series starting in Dambulla on Saturday (tomorrow) with either side sweeping the series not only consolidating their position on the ICC ODI Team Rankings but also strengthening their chances of qualifying automatically for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. Sixth-ranked Sri Lanka are on 98 points, while seventh-ranked Bangladesh are on 91 points – seven points behind. A 3-0 win for Sri Lanka will help them gain two points and rise to 100, while Bangladesh will slip behind Pakistan on 88 points. However, if the series result is reversed, then Bangladesh, who will aim to carry their P.Sara Stadium momentum into the ODI series, will join Sri Lanka on 96 points and be ranked in sixth place when the points are calculated beyond the decimal point.

West Indies and Pakistan will square-off in a four-match Twenty20 International series in Bridgetown on Sunday, but will be keeping a close eye on the ODI series in Sri Lanka as both are also in the danger zone. Pakistan are eighth on 89 points, while the West Indies are ninth on 84 points. The two sides will face each other in a three-match ODI series from April 7-11 in what could potentially also have a huge impact in qualification terms.

England and the seven other top teams on September 30, 2017 will qualify directly for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 with the remaining four teams getting a second chance through a 10-team ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifying Tournament in 2018. The annual ICC ODI Team Rankings update will be carried out on May 1, 2017 in which results from 2013-14 will be dropped, while results from 2015-16 will be reduced to a weighting of 50 percent.

In ICC Player Rankings for ODI Batsmen, Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim is top-ranked from either side in 19th position while opener Tamim Iqbal (23rd), Soumya Sarkar (30th rank) and all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan (31st) will be the others from the visiting side looking to improve their rankings. In the absence of all-rounder Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis is the home side’s top-ranked batsman in 60th position while Niroshan Dickwella is one slot behind him. Shakib is the leading bowler from either side in the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for ODI Bowlers in eighth position with his captain Mashrafe Mortaza (12th) and Mustafizur Rahman (30th) the other leading bowlers from the side. For Sri Lanka, Suranga Lakmal is the top-ranked bowler in 28th position.

     Rankings

Rank       Team         Points

1   South Africa          119
2   Australia             118
3   New Zealand         113
4   India                 112
5   England              108
6   Sri Lanka              98
7   Bangladesh            91
8   Pakistan               89
9   West Indies            84
10  Afghanistan            51
11  Zimbabwe             47
12  Ireland                44

Possible scenarios:
Sri Lanka win 3-0: Sri Lanka 100, Bangladesh 88
Sri Lanka win 2-1: Sri Lanka 99, Bangladesh 91
Bangladesh win 3-0: Bangladesh 96, Sri Lanka 96
Bangladesh win 2-1: Bangladesh 93, Sri Lanka 97