A slip in concentration in the one-day international series starting tomorrow will cost Bangladesh heavily as far as the ICC rankings is concerned. Currently at No 7 in the rankings chart, Bangladesh will gain just one point if they take the three-match home series 3-0 against 10th placed Zimbabwe. However, if the visitors win 3-0 the Tigers will lose eight valuable rating points and slide down behind Pakistan to 8th place with 88 points.
From Bangladesh’s perspective the series is more important because these minor changes over the next 23 months (till September 30, 2017) will eventually have the final say over their chances of participation in the World Cup 2019. Scheduled for England, the mega event will see the top seven ranked sides at that point qualify directly alongside the hosts while the bottom four teams will engage in the qualifying round alongside champions from the World Cricket League Championship and World Cricket League.
Meanwhile, Shakib al Hasan is the top ranked all-rounder heading into the series. He is ranked fourth in the bowlers chart, 15 points adrift of New Zealand’s Trent Boult. Tigers skipper Mashrafe bin Mortaza is in 22nd place and only seven points away from a place in the world’s top 20 bowlers list. The highest-ranked batsmen heading into the series is Soumya Sarkar (17th) and Mushfiqur Rahim (19th).