Chance to climb up the ladder

The Bangladesh ODI team may have lost a point in the International Cricket Council's annual update of the ODI rankings released on Monday, but the Tigers can gain a lot of ground in the upcoming tri-series starting on May 12 in Ireland against the hosts and New Zealand. The rankings have assumed special importance now because the top eight teams at the cut-off time of September 2017 will gain automatic qualification to the 2019 World Cup.

Bangladesh are currently in seventh place on 91 points, three clear of Pakistan in eighth position. The ninth-placed team is West Indies on 79 points, so the fear of sinking below that is a remote one. On the other hand, Sri Lanka in sixth position is only two points clear of Bangladesh, and according to the ICC rankings predictor the Tigers will leapfrog Sri Lanka with 97 points if they win all four matches of the league-based tri-series. Even if they win three, they will sit on 94 points, one clear of Sri Lanka.

With New Zealand fielding an under-strength side, the above scenarios are certainly possible, and Bangladesh would also want the rankings cushion ahead of their campaign in the Champions Trophy group of death.