Australia can regain No.1 Test ranking if they beat Proteas in December

Sydney: Australia could regain the No.1 Test ranking by December if they beat South Africa in the upcoming three-Test series.

The Proteas climbed to the top of world cricket overnight by defeating England at Lord’s to complete a 2-0 series victory, but their glory will be short lived if Michael Clarke’s side conquers them. The Australians currently sit third in Test rankings with 116 points, behind England on 117 and South Africa on 120, but can erase the four-point deficit on the Proteas by beating them on home soil. That starts an exciting few months for cricket. England has an away series against India on the subcontinent, where they have a poor recent record, which runs concurrently with Australia’s battle against South Africa. The Australians then tackle Sri Lanka in a three-Test series, starting on Boxing Day, which overlaps with South Africa’s two Tests against New Zealand. The Proteas then host Pakistan in a three-match series, which starts in February 2013, The Sydney Morning Herald reports. Regaining the No.1 ranking would be a tremendous boost for Cricket Australia which underwent a massive overhaul last year in the wake of a disastrous Ashes campaign two summers ago. ANI