Sri Lanka puts No 1 T20I position on the line, India could go top

Sri Lanka will begin a two-match T20I series against host Bangladesh from 12 February in Chittagong by putting its number one position on the Reliance ICC T20I Team Rankings Table on the line.

Sri Lanka enters the series as the number-one ranked side with 129 ratings points, leading 10th ranked Bangladesh by 57 ratings points. Only eight ratings points separate the top four sides, with India (123 points), South Africa (123 points) and Pakistan (121 points) close on the heels of the number-one ranked side.

As such, because the rankings are weighted to reflect this difference, Sri Lanka will lose its top position if it loses both matches in the series. In such a scenario, Sri Lanka will drop nine ratings points and three places to fourth position with 120 ratings points, handing the top position to India.

Sri Lanka needs to win one of the two matches in the series to retain the number-one position.

Bangladesh will stay in 10th position irrespective of the outcome of the series.

This is the final tune-up for both sides ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014, which commences on 16 March 2014.

Meanwhile, Tillakaratne Dilshan in eighth position on the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for T20I batsmen will start off as the highest-ranked batsman in the series.

In fact, Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardena in ninth position, are the only two batsmen in the top 10 likely to feature in the series.

Outside the top 10, the batsmen likely to feature are Kumar Sangakkara (12th), Kushal Perera (25th), Tamim Iqbal (29th), Shakib Al Hasan (31st) and Angelo Mathews (45th).

Ajantha Mendis in fifth and Shakib Al Hasan in ninth will start off as the only two bowlers in the top 10 of the Reliance ICC Player Ranking for T20I bowlers to feature in the series.

Outside the top 10, Lasith Malinga (14th), Angelo Mathews (21st), Sachitra Senanayake (40th), Mashrafe Mortaza (52nd) and Thisara Perera (57th) are also likely to take the field.