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ICC Test Championship Preview: New Zealand v Pakistan

Home win could boost New Zealand's Test standing to second

ICC Media Release

December 16, 2003

New Zealand could climb to second in the ICC Test Championship table if it wins both matches in the forthcoming two-Test series against Pakistan starting in Hamilton on Friday.

New Zealand is currently fourth in the official Test standings with a rating of 104. A 2-0 series win will lift its rating to 109 which - if South Africa fails to win its home series against West Indies - would be good enough to lift it to second place.

Even a 1-0 series win for New Zealand will be enough for it to take third spot from England. The two sides are separated in the ratings by less than a point and though England can boost its rating to 106 if it wins the final Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo, a 1-0 win on home soil would see New Zealand edge into third with a rating of 107.

Pakistan goes into the series lying fifth in the official table, six points behind New Zealand. A drawn series will improve its rating from 98 to 99 while a win will enable it to overhaul its closest rival.

If Pakistan can win the series 1-0 it will improve its rating to 102 while New Zealand's rating will fall to 100. A 2-0 win for the visitors could even be enough for it to claim third place in the table.

Pakistan is only one place and three points ahead of India in the standings and will be in danger of losing its spot if it does not have a successful tour of New Zealand. A 2-0 defeat would see Pakistan's rating fall to 94, one below India's current rating.

If India emerges from its current tour of Australia with a series draw it will improve its rating to 100.

The ICC Test Championship table correct on 15 December 2003

	Team	Rating
1	Australia	130
2	South Africa	111
3	England	104
4	New Zealand	104
5	Pakistan	98
6	India	95
7	Sri Lanka	91
8	West Indies	83
9	Zimbabwe	56
10	Bangladesh	0

Developed by David Kendix

Note: If ratings are equal, the ratings calculation is refined to three decimal places to determine the higher ranked team.

Full scenarios for New Zealand v Pakistan Test series:

	New Zealand	Pakistan
Current rating:	104	98
Possible series outcomes:
New Zealand wins by 2 Tests (2-0)	109	94
New Zealand wins by 1 Test (1-0)	107	95
Series tied (0-0, 1-1)	103	99
Pakistan wins by 1 Test (1-0)	100	102
Pakistan wins by 2 Tests (2-0)	98	104

Chris Broad from England will be officiating on the series, his first appearance as an ICC match referee. David Orchard from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires will stand in the first Test with Steve Davis from the Emirates International Panel.

Davis from Australia replaces Neil Mallender who has been taken ill and will return to England.

Orchard will be joined by Asoka de Silva from the Emirates Elite Panel for the second Test.

The impact future results will have on the ratings is available on the official ICC website. For a full explanation of how the ratings are calculated, visit www.icc.cricket.org.

ICC media contacts:

Brendan McClements	Jon Long
General Manager - Corporate Affairs	Project Officer - Corporate Affairs
Mobile: + 44 (0) 7786 194974	Tel: + 44 (0) 20 7266 7912
	Mobile: + 44 (0) 7946 545090
	E Mail: jon.long@icc-cricket.com