Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi is baffled by the International Cricket Council’s One Day International ranking system after learning that their series win over West Indies will not have any effect on their position in the table.
If Pakistan manage to beat hosts West Indies in the third match of the series, it will be for the 6th time the Men in Green defeat the Windies in a series between the two countries. However, a series win will not earn Pakistan a single point which is said to have irked the Pakistan captain.
Speaking to reporters, Afridi said, “I can’t understand this system, there should be some advantage for the visiting sides as winning a series is never easy for them no matter who they’re playing against.”
Pakistan are currently in sixth place in the world rankings and even a whitewash against West Indies will not move them a place higher in the ranking. On the other hand, a 3-2 or even a 4-1 win in the series against the 9th placed West Indies will cause Pakistan to drop points. Afridi considers this as an unfair system because it does not offer any points after a win against a lower ranked team.
Speaking further on the awkward format of the ranking system, the flamboyant Afridi said, “It’s really difficult to prosper under the current ranking system. I have little clue what it’s based on.”
Afridi is not the only skipper to have come out against the system as previously Sri Lanka’s former captain Kumar Sangakkara also termed it as unfair.
Afridi, who wants to improve Pakistan’s ODI rankings by winning the series, said that a series win remains his top priority. According to him, beating West Indies in their own backyard is extremely difficult.
According to ICC’s modified rating system, points are awarded on the number of series between the two teams and their results. In addition, bonus points are also awarded on a series win. The points earned after a series are then multiplied by a pre-determined factor of the previous ratings of both the sides to finalise the rating points the team earns. Then a side’s net rating points are divided by the total games played for the evaluation of the ratings.
Afridi admitted that even though his side will not be gaining an incentive of improving their position in the rankings, winning a series against West Indies will be a morale booster for his young and inexperienced side.
