Thanks to their disastrous Caribbean campaign, Team India can slump to
as low as eighth position in the ICC ODI Championship ladder after the cricket
World Cup.
Rahul Dravid's men cut a sorry figure in the West Indies, managing
their lone win against a lowly Bermuda and losing to Sri Lanka
and Bangladesh.
India, currently ranked sixth, might slip two rungs
if the West Indies and England register good results in the coming weeks.
Currently, England lies just one point behind Team India with
the West Indies just two points further back.
But the top slot is up for grabs.
South Africa will retain the spot at the April 1 cut-off
if it beats Sri Lanka in Guyana on Wednesday. If they fail and Australia
win back-to-back matches against the West Indies tomorrow and Bangladesh on
Saturday, Ricky Ponting's men will be back to the top again.
The date is significant because the side that leads the ladder on April 1 receives
USD 175,000 for its achievement, while the side that lies second collects USD
75,000.
Smith's side assumed first place from Australia last month
following an outstanding run of results over the past year, which saw the team
win 15 of its 21 matches ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup.
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