Upward momentum for Bond

BLACKCAPS quick bowler Shane Bond has climbed to second position in the ICC Player Rankings for the first time.

Strike bowler Bond has moved up five places after six consecutive wins for the New Zealanders.

He is now level with Sri Lanka spin king Muttiah Muralidaran who is up seven places for his highest ranking for more than a year.

South Africa veteran Shaun Pollock still leads the charge, some 155 ratings points clear of Bond and Muralidaran.

Bangladesh’s bowling has also impressed many during the group stage of the CWC and it now boasts three players in the upper echelons - Abdur Razzak (11th), Mashrafe Mortaza (12th) and Mohammed Rafiq (15th).

The BLACKCAPS form has consolidated their hold on third place in the CC ODI Championship.

They are now four points clear of Pakistan, although only 11 points separate them from eighth-place West Indies, who they face in their opening IC World Cup Super Eight Series match in Antigua this week.

Pollock’s South Africa will secure top spot in the LG I at the 1 April cut-off with victory over Muralidaran’s Sri Lanka in Guyana.

The date is significant because the side that leads the ladder at the beginning of April receives a cash prize of US$175,000.

Following Australia’s victory over South Africa in St Kitts on Saturday, the teams are now both on 126 points at the top of the table.

However, when calculated to three decimal points, it is Graeme Smith’s side that just comes out in front.

LG ICC ODI Championship
(after ICC Cricket World Cup group stage)

1 South Africa 126
2 Australia 126
3 BLACKCAPS 114
4 Pakistan 110
5 Sri Lanka 109
6 India 106
7 England 105
8 West Indies103
9 Bangladesh 44
10 Zimbabwe 22
11 Kenya 0