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Sunday, June 29, 2008

M.S.Dhoni ranked 4th in the ICC Cricket rankings

There is plenty of movement in the latest Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen, with Mahendra Singh Dhoni , Shoaib Malik and Michael Hussey being the main beneficiaries, as Ricky Ponting , Matthew Hayden and Shivnarine Chanderpaul lose out.

Dhoni hasn't been dismissed so far in the Asia Cup, having scored 135 runs in two unbeaten innings. This effort moved him up five places in the batting rankings to fourth position, level with Hussey and Ponting of Australia.

Former number-one Hussey has been slipping down the rankings of late but has now managed to halt that decline. The West Australian gains three places in the figures announced on Sunday after a crucial innings in Friday's ODI against the West Indies in Grenada.

With his side in a bit of trouble at 35-3, the 33-year-old top-scored with 62 and shared a 100-run partnership with Michael Clarke to make sure Australia posted what turned out to be a winning total of 213-5.

Ponting, on the other hand, has dropped from second position to fourth after failing to make an impression with the bat during either of the two ODIs of the series played so far.

Meanwhile, South Africa captain Graeme Smith is still on top of the log as his side prepares for its upcoming Test series in England.

Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik is back into the top 20 batsmen having gained no fewer than seven places in latest rankings. His unbeaten 125 against India was not enough to win the match for Pakistan but it has made a big difference to Shoaib's standing in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen.

The 26-year-old has moved to the top of the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders, taking over from team-mate Shahid Afridi, who slips to second spot with New Zealand's Jacob Oram up two places to third place.

With the Black Caps having dominated the ODI series against England, captain Daniel Vettori lifted the trophy at Lord's on Saturday and his match figures of 10-1-32-3 in his side's 51-run victory illustrated just why the 29-year-old is the top-ranked one-day bowler in the world at present.

Team-mate Scott Styris is currently enjoying the highest rating of his career to date and has gained four places to 22nd in the batting list after hitting a memorable 87 not out.

But the most impressive progress is by an England player. Stuart Broad has gained 22 places to a career-high 12th position in the Reliance Mobile ICC Rankings for ODI bowlers capping off a good series for the young fast bowler.

Among the other bowlers, there is also good progress for Daren Powell of the West Indies, who climbed three places to fifth position, Australia's Brett Lee (up three places to joint-seventh) and West Indies' Jerome Taylor (up two places to join Lee in seventh place).

England loses further ground in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship and is now firmly in seventh position two points adrift of Sri Lanka in sixth spot and five ahead of the West Indies in eighth.

New Zealand managed to stay ahead of India in third place but with the Asia Cup still going on, India can go third if it wins its next two matches, against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, even if New Zealand overcomes the challenge of Ireland in Aberdeen on Tuesday.

If the Irishmen win that match, they will gain seven points, putting a little bit of pressure on Bangladesh in ninth spot.

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