Victory could put England third in Test Championship

A 2-0 series win for England in Bangladesh could lift it to third in the ICC Test Championship table for the first time since November 2001.

Unless New Zealand, currently third, can win the second Test against India in Mohali, England will edge ahead in the official ratings by winning its two matches in Bangladesh starting in Dhaka next Tuesday.

Both England and New Zealand would have a rating of 104 but, on recalculation to three decimal places, England would claim third place by the narrowest of margins.

The first Test in Dhaka will be England's first ever Test Match against Bangladesh. With Australia also recently playing its first Test against Zimbabwe it will mean that all 10 of the ICC's Full Members have played Test Match cricket against each other.

England was third in the official Test ratings when they were first launched in May 2001 but since being overtaken by Sri Lanka in November 2001 and then New Zealand, has occupied either fourth or fifth place.

Though a 2-0 victory will ensure England's rating will increase by just under a point, anything less will cause it to fall. A 1-0 victory would see it drop to 103 while a drawn series will leave it on 101.

Bangladesh's official rating hit zero when it lost the recent three Test series in Pakistan. A series win against England would boost its rating to 10 (if it won 2-0) or 8 (if 1-0). Even a draw or 1-0 defeat would put Bangladesh back in the points on 4 or 1 respectively.

The ICC Test Championship table correct on 14 October 2003

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

Full scenarios for Bangladesh v England Test series:

Wasim Raja from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Referees will officiate on the series. Asoka de Silva from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and Aleem Dar from the Emirates International Panel will stand both Tests. The first match will be 35-year-old Dar's debut as an on-field Test Match umpire; he has officiated in 26 One-Day International matches.

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.

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