India maintains second place but lose ground to number-one side Australia

ICC ODI Championship predictor function available at http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net/match_zone/odi_predictor.php

Sri Lanka's four-wicket victory over India in the final of the tri-nation series in Dhaka has seen it climb one place to sixth in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship.

India maintains its second place position despite losing the match but is down two ratings points since the start of the series, leaving a gap of nine points between itself and table leader Australia.

Sri Lanka has displaced Pakistan by a fraction of a point but Pakistan have the opportunity to climb back up the table with its upcoming ODI series against Australia that begins on 22 January.

Even if Australia were to lose all of its upcoming matches against Pakistan, it would still top the table ahead of India, albeit, by the slim margin of two ratings points.

India has its next ODI outing on 21 February when it will play host to South Africa and will have to wait until then before it can challenge Australia's stronghold at the top of the table.

The third country involved in the just-concluded tri-nation series, Bangladesh, has lost one ratings point after failing to win any of its matches.

For details of the upcoming ODI fixtures and how the results could affect the ODI Championship table go to http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net/match_zone/odi_predictor.php.

For information on the latest standings in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Player Rankings go to www.reliancemobileiccrankings.com.

For more information go to www.reliancemobileiccrankings.com

Reliance Mobile ODI Championship (as of 13 January after tri-nation series in Bangladesh)

Smith, Kallis and Hussey are the main upward movers in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen while bowlers Asif, Morkel and Anderson also make gains

Ponting, Strauss, Pietersen, Broad, Yousuf and Swann all slip down the charts

As Test cricket shows yet again just why it is considered to be the pinnacle of the sport, the latest Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings will be a welcome morale boost for South Africa after it fell agonisingly short of victory in an enthralling third Test at Cape Town.

The match, played in front of big crowds at Newlands, finished with England avoiding defeat thanks first to a long partnership between Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood followed by nail-biting defiance on the part of England's tail-end batsmen as the Proteas threw everything at them in an effort to square the series.

The disappointment of the draw for South Africa captain Graeme Smith will be eased slightly when he looks at the rankings and sees his players very much in the ascendency and, with one match left in the series, he will be confident his in-form players can square things up.

Following his own heroics, scoring 183 in the second innings, Smith himself has returned to the top five in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen, gaining seven places to fourth position.

Not far behind him is team-mate Jacques Kallis, whose 32^nd Test century has earned him three places to sixth position, not far behind India's Virender Sehwag, who is overtaken by Smith following the Cape Town Test.

The news is not so good for England's top batsmen with Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen both losing ground to their peers.

Meanwhile, there are mixed fortunes for Australia's batsmen following another amazing Test against Pakistan in Sydney. Michael Hussey's second-innings 134 not out effectively was the difference between the sides and Hussey's match-winning efforts have earned him 11 places in the latest rankings and a welcome return to the top 20 for the 34-year-old Australian.

But captain Ricky Ponting is on the verge of dropping out of the top 20 as he loses four more places in the latest rankings. Ponting managed to score just 11 runs in the match although he did manage to lead his side to a thrilling 36-run victory over Mohammad Yousuf and his team.

Yousuf himself drops two places to seventh in the rankings while absent team-mate Younus Khan loses three spots to 10^th position. The batting rankings are still headed by India's Gautam Gambhir followed in second and third places by the Sri Lanka pair of Mahela Jayawardena and Kumar Sangakkara.

Fast bowler Mohammad Asif is making his move in Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers and his eight wickets in Sydney has given him a career-best rating as he now sits in third position with only Dale Steyn of South Africa and Australia's Mitchell Johnson ahead of him.

For England, James Anderson gains six places to seventh in the bowling chart but Graeme Swann (down two places to fifth position) and Stuart Broad (down five places to 12^th) are not so fortunate.

Tall Proteas pacer Morne Morkel, who took five wickets in the first innings in Cape Town, has leapt up eight spots to a career-high position of 16^th place despite being thwarted by England's Graham Onions in the final over of the match.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders, England's Broad slips out of the top five with his position being assumed by Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh. That list is still headed by Kallis with Daniel Vettori of New Zealand in second place.

Victory in tri-nation series coupled with Australia defeats will see Dhoni's men flying high

 ICC ODI Championship predictor function available at http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net/match_zone/odi_predictor.php

If India wins all its matches in the upcoming tri-nation series in Bangladesh starting on Monday, and Australia is well beaten by Pakistan in its five-ODI series that follows the ongoing Tests, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team will rise to the top of the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table.

India, which is already in possession of the coveted mace for being the number-one ranked side in Test cricket, could add the ODI shield to the trophy cabinet. But it will not be an easy task.

First it will have to defeat Sri Lanka and home team Bangladesh in the ODIs coming up and then hope Australia slips up in its home series against Pakistan, which runs until 31 January. A 4-1 or worse series result for Ricky Ponting's team would knock the ICC Cricket World Cup champion off top spot in favour of India.

For details of the upcoming ODI fixtures and how the results could affect the ODI Championship table go to http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net/match_zone/odi_predictor.php. Note to editors: the tri-nation series final will not be added to the predictor until the two participating teams are confirmed.

For information on the latest standings in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Player Rankings go to www.reliancemobileiccrankings.com.

The tri-nation series schedule is:

4 Jan - First ODI (d/n), Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, Mirpur

5 Jan - Second ODI (d/n), India v Sri Lanka, Mirpur

7 Jan - Third ODI (d/n), Bangladesh v India, Mirpur

8 Jan - Fourth ODI (d/n), Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, Mirpur

10 Jan - Fifth ODI (d/n), India v Sri Lanka, Mirpur

11 Jan - Sixth ODI (d/n), Bangladesh v India, Mirpur

13 Jan - Final (d/n), Mirpur

For more information go to www.reliancemobileiccrankings.com

Reliance Mobile ODI Championship (as of 3 January, before the start of the Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka tri-nation ODI series)

Rank   Team              Rating

1          Australia          130

2          India                123

3          South Africa               119

4          New Zealand              112

5          England           109

6          Pakistan           108

7          Sri Lanka         105

8          West Indies                 76

9          Bangladesh                 55

10        Zimbabwe       26

11        Ireland             25

12        Kenya              2

(Developed by David Kendix)

Man of the match Graeme  jumps to third place as Broad moves up to seventh; South Africa's Harris and Ntini slip down the order but Australia's Hauritz makes gains

Batsmen Cook, Bell, Strauss and Watson move up after successful Tests for them in Durban and Melbourne

England off-spinner Graeme Swann has capped off a memorable year by breaking into the top five of the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers and all-rounders for the first time.

Swann finishes 2009 in third position in the bowlers' category of cricket's official player rankings after his man-of-the-match performance in the second Test against South Africa in Durban.

The 30-year-old took match figures of 56-6-164-9, including a five-wicket haul in the second innings and, as a result, has gained a further eight places, moving ahead of spin rivals Harbhajan Singh of India and Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralidaran in the process.

It is Swann's highest ranking of his career to date and his good form with the bat recently - he scored 85 in the first innings of the Centurion Test - has meant that he has also gained three places in that list, putting him in fourth position behind Australia's Mitchell Johnson.

The news is also good for Swann's team-mate Stuart Broad, who has gained six places to seventh in the bowling rankings. Broad's pace was the perfect foil to Swann's beguiling off-spinners and his four second-innings wickets helped expedite the Proteas' demise in the second Test, which England won by an innings and 98 runs.

Broad has also broken into the top five of the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders with a career-high rating in that category.

Not surprisingly, the picture isn't as rosy for most of South Africa's bowlers. Veteran pacer Makhaya Ntini has slipped four places to eighth position after failing to take a wicket in the match while left-arm slow bowler Paul Harris has dropped five places, out of the top 10, to 12^th spot.

On a more positive note, Morne Morkel has gained six places and now sits in 24^th position in the rankings thanks to his three first-innings wickets in Durban. And for Australia, spinner Nathan Hauritz's five wickets in the second innings of the match against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground has earned him five places with the 28-year-old now occupying 38^th position in the list.

SA's Dale Steyn has managed to cling on to number-one spot although he is now under significant pressure from Johnson, who is in top form in his side's current series against Pakistan.

As far as the batting rankings are concerned, England captain Andrew Strauss is the main mover in the top 20, gaining four places to joint-13^th position, level with Rahul Dravid of India and South Africa's AB de Villiers, who drops one place.

South Africa's Ashwell Prince has slipped out of the top 20 while England's Alastair Cook is up four places to 27^th and Ian Bell gains eight spots to 33^rd in the rankings.

After several close calls, Australia opener Shane Watson finally reached his maiden Test century during the MCG Test and this effort has earned him 19 places in the latest rankings with the all-rounder now sitting in 34^th position with further gains possible for the remainder of this series.

Ricky Ponting loses two more places in the latest rankings and now sits in 16^th position. The batting rankings are still headed by Gautam Gambhir of India followed by the Sri Lanka pair of Mahela Jayawardena and Kumar Sangakkara.

India captain: "I'm proud to be leading a team that has displayed a penchant for translating potential into performance"

"Our priority in the months to follow will be to prove that we are as capable of staying at the top as we are at reaching it"

Haroon Lorgat: "All of India can be very proud of its team being the top-ranked Test team in the world for the first time"

"Test cricket is well set for an exciting future and that is great news for our Great Sport"

Sanjay Behl: "Reliance Mobile is privileged to be associated with this significant moment in India's cricketing history"

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni got his hands on the symbol of his side's new status in Test cricket on Sunday, the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship mace. This is the first time India has achieved the number-one ranking since the championship was introduced in May 2001.

Dhoni received the mace from ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat in front of a packed media conference in New Delhi at the end of the ODI series against Sri Lanka which India won 3-1 (fifth and last ODI was abandoned).

India achieved the number-one position after winning its three-Test series against Sri Lanka 2-0 on 6 December. It is only the third team after Australia and South Africa to earn this position on the Test Championship table.

However, India's status as top dog is under threat from South Africa and a 2-0 or better series win for the Proteas against England in the ongoing four-match series will return South Africa to the top spot.

Dhoni, after receiving the mace, said: "I'm proud to be leading a team that has displayed a penchant for translating potential into performance.

"Our ascent to the number-one status commenced several year ago. The efforts put in by our seniors in making the Indian cricket team a force to be reckoned with, will never be forgotten. They inspired us to follow in their footsteps.

"Our priority in the months to follow will be to prove that we are as capable of staying at the top as we are at reaching it."

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said: "All of India can be very proud of its team being the top-ranked Test team in the world for the first time.

"It is well-deserved and just reward for the hard work and winning performances against Australia, England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka over the past 14 months.

"India has a strong team with many players who will become all-time greats. In Mahendra Singh Dhoni and coach Gary Kirsten they have proven leaders capable of greater achievements.

"Test cricket needed the excitement of four teams vying for the number-one spot in the Reliance Mobile Test Championship table.

"Australia headed the table for all but 10 months since the rankings were launched in May 2001 and achieving that level of dominance will surely be the new goal for Dhoni and his players.

"Test cricket is well set for an exciting future and that is great news for our Great Sport."

Sanjay Behl, Head Brand & Marketing, Reliance Communications ADA Group, said: "Today, Reliance Mobile is privileged to be associated with this significant moment in India's cricketing history. It was a proud moment for every Indian cricket fan when the India team reached the pinnacle of the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship in its last Test series.

"The Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship mace is the symbol of this supremacy and with India winning it, a new era has commenced in Test cricket.

"The Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship is the authoritative rankings that recognize the efforts of all Test playing teams. These official rankings are one of the toughest and every point on the table is earned with diligence and a strong team effort within the most stringent format of international cricket - Test matches.

"The Reliance ADA Group congratulates India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as well as each and every member of the number-one ranked Test team in the world which includes both the players as well as the support staff who have all made us very proud."

Background on the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship mace:

The Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship mace is presented to the team that leads the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship.

It has been in Australia's hands for all but 10 months (January - May 2003 and August-December 2009) since it was inaugurated in May 2001.

The mace was produced by the then British Crown Jeweller, Asprey & Garrard, in 2001, which was commissioned to make a distinctive prize designed to stand out from other cricket trophies.

The designers produced a 90cm silver and gold-plated trophy based on a cricket stump as its shank, topped by an orb that represents the cricket world - both geographically and through the inclusion of the emblems of all 10 ICC Members that have played Test cricket.

The stump and the orb combine to portray the mace, regarded as a symbol of authority and prestige. This is regarded as an appropriate combination given the rich history of Test cricket and its image as the most traditional and purest form of the game.

The mace sits on a wooden base with a silver-plated plaque in front with room for engravings of the sides to hold it. The mace was valued at stg£30,000 in 2001 and automatically passes from one team to another as results confirm a change of leadership in the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship table.

The side that tops the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship table on 1 April each year collects US$175,000 for doing so while the second-placed side receives US$75,000. The side that tops the ODI table on same date pockets US$175,000 while the runner-up gets richer by $75,000.