Pakistan overtake West Indies in ODI rankings

ABU DHABI (92 News) – Pakistan have overtaken the West Indies in the ICC ODI Team Rankings after blanking the Caribbean side by 3-0 in the one-day international series in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday. The qualification scenario for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 turned engrossing as Pakistan’s 136-run victory in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday lifted the team to eighth position at 89 points, one point ahead of the West Indies and to within six points of seventh-placed Bangladesh. The West Indies, which had started the series eight points ahead of Pakistan at 94 points, stood to lose a lot because it was ranked higher than Pakistan and since the rankings are weighted to reflect this difference. Bangladesh had similarly dropped crucial points last week in a 2-1 series win over Afghanistan, which is 10th on the table with 52 points. Host England plus the other seven highest-ranked sides on the ICC ODI team rankings on 30 September 2017 will qualify automatically for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. The bottom four sides on the ICC ODI team rankings plus six sides from the ICC World Cricket League will play in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018. The top two sides from this event will complete the 10-team line-up for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.