Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal and Misbah-ul-Haq achieve career-best rankings;
Jacques Kallis just three points ahead of Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara
in batting tableChance for Steyn to become the 20th bowler ever to break the 900-point mark thresholdSouth Africa finds itself in a must-win situation in the much-awaited
two-Test series against Australia, starting in Cape Town on Wednesday,
if it wants to retain its number-two position in the Reliance ICC Test
Championship table.South Africa trails top-ranked England by seven ratings points but leads
third-ranked India, which is presently involved in a three-Test series
against the West Indies, by just one rating point. Australia is sitting
on 104 ratings points, five ahead of Sri Lanka whose lead against
Pakistan was trimmed to just one ratings point after it lost the
three-Test 1-0.The tight situation right at the top of the table means South Africa's
failure to win the series against Australia will mean it will slip in
the Championship table.A 1-0 series loss will leave South Africa on 112 ratings points while in
case of a 2-0 series defeat the Proteas will join Australia on 110
ratings points but will be ranked above Michael Clarke's side when the
ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point.Graeme Smith's side, in contrast, can reduce the gap with England to
just three ratings points if it wins both the Tests. South Africa's
victory by a 1-0 margin will ensure it stay ahead of India irrespective
of how India's series against the West Indies pans out.The maximum India can rise from its series against the West Indies is to
119 ratings points which it can only achieve if it wins all the three
Tests. A 2-0 series win will put it on 118 ratings points while a 1-0 or
2-1 series win will keep it on 117 ratings points.To find out exactly how South Africa-Australia and India-West Indies
series will affect the Championship table, please click here. The Test
Championship table, unlike the ODI Championship table, is updated only
after the end of the series.Meanwhile, in the Reliance ICC Test Player Rankings, which were updated
on Tuesday morning after the conclusion of the Test between Pakistan and
Sri Lanka , Pakistan's spin magician Saeed Ajmal and captain
Misbah-ul-Haq have achived career-best rankings while Kumar Sangakkara
is now breathing down Jacques Kallis' neck.Saeed, who took 7-182 in the third Test, has climbed six places to
occupy 10th position on the bowlers' chart. Saeed, who won the player of
the series award, had started the series in 23rd position and has
gained 13 places after managing 18 wickets in the series.Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul and Sri Lanka's fast bowler Chanaka
Welegedara have also headed in the right direction. Umar, who had
figures of 3-76 and 2-44, has returned to the top 20 in 17th position
after climbing four places while Welegedara has been rewarded for his
six wickets in the match with a rise of five places which has put him in
41st position.In the batting table, Kallis will have to perform in the Cape Town Test
otherwise Sangakkara will claim the number-one position. The Sri Lanka
left-hander, who shared the man of the series award with Saeed, earned
26 ratings points for his scores of 144 and 51 in Sharjah which has left
him just three ratings points behind the elegant South Africa batsman.Misbah has become his country's highest-ranked batsman. His scores of 89
and nine not out have helped him jump four places and puts him one
position ahead of Younus Khan in 13th spot.Apart from Kallis, South Africa boasts AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla and
Graeme Smith inside the top 20 while Australia has only Mike Hussey
sitting inside the top 20 in sixth position.Batsmen aiming for upward movements include Clarke (22nd), Shane Watson
(26th), Ashwell Prince (31st), Ricky Ponting (32nd), Brad Haddin (38th),
Mark Boucher (45th), Phil Hughes (50th), JP Duminy (92nd) and Usman
Khawaja (111th).Dale Styen of South Africa leads the bowling table by a distance. He is
88 ratings points ahead of England's Graeme Swann but has the incentive
of becoming only the 20th bowler in the history of the game to break the
900-point mark barrier. If he manages to gain the required one rating
point, then he will become only the second South Africa bowler after
Shaun Pollock to achieve the rare distinction.Steyn's team-mate Morne Morkel is in fourth position but trails
third-ranked James Anderson of England by just four ratings points while
Mitchell Johnson is Australia's highest-ranked bowler in ninth position
and Peter Siddle is in 14th spot
