Do the Aussies deserve to be top?

Ricky Ponting's side only managed to get to the semi-finals of the recent ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka, which featured the world's top 12 teams.

But the strength of their opponents over the last two years gains them the top spot ahead of South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan.

England lie in sixth place out of the 11 countires in the list.

Have the ICC got it right? Or should your team be higher?

Australia will win next year's World Cup. No questions.
James Davey, UK

It is impossible to devise a highly accurate ranking system, and there will be a number of flaws in all ranking systems. However, the ICC has done a fairly good job with the new one-day rankings.

Australia are on top because they have been better than any other team over the last few years. For those people arguing that Pakistan should be ranked higher, look back and see how many matches they lost in the Morocco and the Kenya series.
Shohan Rahman, USA

These rankings are garbage. How on earth are Pakistan and Sri Lanka ranked higher than India and even England?
Ashish Thakrar, USA

The ICC Rankings are a complete joke, and real cricket fans won't take much notice of them. On current form Australia, India and South Africa are ahead of the rest with Sri Lanka close behind.

I am also amused by some Pakistani fans saying that they believe they should be up there and that the World Cup is virtually theres. No Chance.
Jas Chatha, England

To all the people (mainly Indian and Pakistan fans) complaining that their teams should be higher - these ratings are only based on a mathematical algorithm. It is quite simple, consistently win more games and you will rise up the table.

You can argue about the time period involved etc. but I reckon they are about right. If India continue their current form they should soon challenge the Aussies but a good six months doesn't make them close to being the best team in the world.
Whitsa, UK

I see it as wholly pointless to have a ranking system for ODIs. If you look at the teams on paper South Africa, Pakistan and India are head and shoulders above everyone.

The trouble is, Pakistan and South Africa are highly inconsistent. India and New Zealand are better, but their paper teams do not have the all-round strength of the top two. And as for Australia ranked one, that's obscene. This side includes just four world-class one-day-players in Bevan, Gilchrist, Ponting and Warne.
Richard Dickinson, England

Why have the ICC not included some form of weighting system, or allocated bonus points? Surely if one of the top sides gets skittled out for peanuts by Kenya, or puts on a mammoth target/run-rate then they should be rewarded.

It also would make the game more interesting, with teams looking to score big targets quickly. Why is there no time-related weighting giving higher values to more recent matches, or a weighting related to the number of fixtures a side plays?

If Kenya were to play all the nations in the space of three years several times, they could still amass a huge number of points just by virtue of having played more games. Thus the "big three" (in terms of ODIs per season) of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will have a higher score just through having played more games.
Dave H, UK

Tahir - you need to sort yourself out! Pakistan have lost it - Sharjah was not a set-back, but an omen for the future. India should be number one based on performances in the last 12 months - Pakistan should be closer to Bangladesh!
Paarus, England

Has the ICC ever done anything straight?
Jay, USA

It's absolutely outrageous that the Aussies are at the top of the rankings. Has everyone forgot about India? India won the tri-nations against England and Sri Lanka, where it looked as if they would lose, especially in that memorable Lord's final.

Then in the ICC Trophy India didn't lose a game and were joint winners. We beat England, Zimnbabwe and South Africa on the way to victory. Fifth Position is extremely harsh in my opinion. I am open to other suggestions!
Amrit Labana, England

Are Australia the best one day team today? Yes. But is the ranking system spot on? No. It is so laughable that when there are hundreds of one day matches played every year, ICC are considering the last three years' performances!
Shyamal Shah, USA

I think Pakistan are wrongly placed in fourth position, despite their poor performance in Sharjah. India deserve to be placed in seventh position below New Zealand but they are placed in fifth which is quite unfair. I think this formula needs to be improved in the future.
Tahir, Pakistan

It's obvious to everyone India are ranked way too low. Pakistan should be closer to England rather than Sri Lanka and India! Also, the margin by which Australia lead most other teams is exaggerated. I do believe they are the best but not by the margin shown.
Jittu, England

The rankings need to be on a 12 month basis. How a team was performing two years ago does not reflect the true picture. India have been playing like champions for the last 11-12 months and still they are ranked below Pakistan. It's ridiculous.
Harish, USA

The ratings do not reflect recent performances.The Aussies could not even make the VB Series final and lost to Pakistan at home. They were trounced in the semi-final of the ICC Championship.

Without Steve Waugh, they will definitely have a tough time keep their top spot. New Zealand are placed ridiculously low at eight.They certainly deserve a higher ranking.
Andy, US

"This system emphasises current form" is an extract from the statement of Malcolm Speed on the launching of ICC One Day Championship rating system. But if we look at the new ICC table and insist on the term "current form," then the table would have been in another order. Frankly speaking, this table does not reflect the current form.
John, Belgium

Australia deserve to be top but not for long. Pakistan who every team are frightened of, will bounce back to claim top spot with the World Cup.
Aky, England

Why are Test nations wasting their time playing against Bangladesh when it appears, according to these figures, that Kenya would be the better side?
Barry Macdonald, England

The ICC rankings fairly represent current one-day performances. The only rival to Australia in the limited overs match just now is South Africa. However look at the strength of opposition both sides have played. Also, any side which can afford to leave out both the Waugh brothers (two of the finest one-day players ever) must be considered the greatest.
Jim Donaldson, Coatbridge, Scotland

I hate to say it, but of course the Aussies deserve to be top. They smashed the South Africans recently and have consistently performed well over the last two years.

I feel quite sorry for the Kiwis, they made the final of the VB series against Australia and South Africa and then went on to beat England in an ODI series, yet they rank only eighth in the list.
Ritchie, Cheltenham, UK

The rankings need to be on a 12 month basis. The two year period used by the ICC does not reflect the true picture. It's ridiculous that Pakistan are fourth despite having lost almost all their matches in the last six months.
Sid Srivastava, Spain

Australia the number one team in the ODI world? I highly doubt it. Tests, yes, they may be the best, but if the new ranking system were based on recent matches then South Africa, India and then Australia should be first, second and third, simply for their fabulous performances in the last 12 months.

I think many of the ICC management and rankings committee are biased toward Australia.
Caesar, India

Australia deserve the top spot but I disagree with India's position at number five. I know India and Pakistan haven't played for long time but here is the logic: Pakistan was beaten by Sri Lanka easily and Sri Lanka were easily beaten by India more than four times in last six months.
Natver, UK

The rating is not perfect. Pakistan should not be in fourth position considering their recent poor performances. Also India, which seems to be the best team in the world at present, are rated fifth. The ratings should give much more importance to the performance of the teams at present and not at the performance of teams some two years ago.
John, UK

The table is fairly accurate in terms of the top three, but from then on it is debatable. Pakistan's accomplishments are highly inflated and given India's recent run, there is no way they should be below Pakistan.

New Zealand too, seems to be unfairly placed given that they are the only team to beat Australia in Australia in recent times. Hopefully, the cricket in the next few months will sort things out and give us all more accurate rankings.
Rishya, UK