Dubai , 15 March 2008Ponting believes Test ranking primacy illustrates Australia 's success during the year
South Africa 's toppling of Australia from the head of affairs in the LG ICC ODI Championship has given captain Graeme Smith and his Protea team-mates more than one reason to smile.
Not only have Smith's men taken top spot from the side seen as the ODI benchmark for other line-ups but they have also ensured they will top the table on 1 April.
And that latter fact means South Africa will receive the ODI plate held by any side that reaches number one and also pocket US$175,000 by reaching the annual cut-off date in top spot.
The number one position was guaranteed by victory in the final ODI against Bangladesh which secured a 3-0 series win.
That clean sweep was enough to lift the Proteas above Australia when the teams' ratings were calculated including decimal places.
Losing out on top spot by such a narrow margin represents heartbreak for Australia, pacesetters for almost all of the past 12 months which included a third successive ICC Cricket World Cup title.
But second place still earns it US$75,000 and it also picks up US$175,000 and retains the Test mace for continuing to dominate the LG ICC Test Championship table.
With no action that will affect the Test listings ahead of the cut-off date of 1 April, Ponting and his players are 30 rating points clear of the number two side India .
Anil Kumble's side therefore collects US$75,000 for its work since April last year, including series wins against England and Pakistan and a 2-1 loss in a thrilling series against Australia .
Reflecting on South Africa 's achievement in reaching the summit in the LG ICC ODI Championship table Graeme Smith said: “I have a huge respect for Australia for what it has achieved over many years.
“It deserved the number one ranking it has held for a long period of time with the players it has had and the performances they have put in around the world.
“ Australia has been awesome at times but hopefully this will be the start of a period when South Africa will be right up there.
“We have the talent and if we can control the small things – get better as people, get better as players – those things will go a long way to proving that.”
Smith, incidentally, has had another, this time personal, reason to be happy as he assumed top spot in the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen. He did that, overtaking Sachin Tendulkar of India and Ponting, after a prolific series in Bangladesh .
Expressing his satisfaction at his team's ODI form, Smith said: “Outside of winning World Cups and world championships, it (rankings) is the next most important thing.
“You have to be consistent to be ranked number one and I think we have reached that level of consistency over a period of time.
“We have performed very well and I am very proud of what the guys have achieved over the last two years,” he added.
Smith also suggested the team hitting top placing in the rankings was perhaps ahead of schedule.
“It is more of an end goal for us," he said.
“Having it now is a huge achievement. We are a fairly young country in terms of our international careers since the end of apartheid and to have the number one ranking and to have players who hold world records and other landmarks is something special for the country.
“Being number one is a reward for all of us but hopefully it is just the beginning of what is a very tough year – away series against India , England and Australia .
“Those are challenges by themselves. I am very proud of this achievement even though there is a bigger picture for all of us.
“Being number one in the world brings with it a certain respect for the game itself and for the way in which we play the game and conduct ourselves on the field. I feel that is very important in making cricket a better game.”
Australia captain Ricky Ponting believed the number one Test ranking illustrated the success of his team during the year. “During the period in question we equalled our own world-record run of 16 consecutive Test match victories," he said.
“We played some really good Test match cricket to achieve a 2-0 series victory against Sri Lanka and a 2-1 series victory against India , both at home. We won four of the six Test matches we played to secure this award and our ranking on the ICC list illustrates the success of our Test team during the year.”
Reflecting on Australia ’s performance in limited overs cricket, Ponting added: “We captured our third ICC Cricket World Cup at the start of this period, winning every game we played during the tournament.
“We had mixed ODI success this year but the 4-2 series victory against India in India and the recapturing of the Chappell-Hadlee trophy from New Zealand was a good effort by the ODI squad.”
ICC MEDIA RELEASE