Sri Lanka can move to second place in Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship

Dubai, Aug.17 (ANI): If Sri Lanka wins its series against the Black Caps 2-0 it has the opportunity to go second in the Reliance Mobile Test Championship. This can only happen if Australia loses the final Ashes Test at the Oval.

If Australia wins the final Test match to England it will stay on top but defeat at the Oval could mean it slips to fourth in the Test Championship. This would make South Africa top, Sri Lanka second and India third in the rankings and even a draw will mean Australia's long reign at the top will come to an end.

However, Sri Lanka could fall to fourth should it only secure a 1-0 victory over New Zealand and Australia beats England.

On the other hand, if Sri Lanka wins the series by 1-0 and Australia loses to England then India would rise above Sri Lanka to assume second place. So there are several permutations that could play out, indicating just how close it is at the top of the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship at present.

Meanwhile, in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen, Sangakkara will be looking to maintain his lead ahead of Australia vice-captain Michael Clarke with a strong series against New Zealand.

Further down the top 20, Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardena will also be attempting to push his way further up the rankings from his current ninth position.

New Zealand top-order batsman Ross Taylor, currently sitting 27th in the rankings could make an attempt to break into the top 20 in the upcoming series set to start on Tuesday.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers, current number two Muttiah Muralidaran will be hoping to take wickets and thus put pressure on the top-ranked Test bowler, South Africa's Dale Steyn.

Further down the rankings, Black Caps' captain Daniel Vettori who is currently ranked 11th, has the potential to break into the top 10 should he have a good series with the ball.

Sri Lanka's Ajantha Mendis, currently placed 30th in the Test bowler rankings, will also rise up the table should he have a successful run in the two-match series.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders, Vettori currently sits third in the rankings and will need a strong performance with both bat and ball to take on Australia's Mitchell Johnson in second and South Africa's Jacques Kallis in first place.

Australia with 124 points tops the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship ranksings as on August 17,2009. It is followed by South Africa (122), Sri Lanka (119), India (119), England (99), Pakistan (84), New Zealand (82), West Indies (76) and Bangladesh (13). (ANI)