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Martin Devlin: ICC rankings don't reflect a dud summer of cricket

Author
Newstalk ZB ,
Publish Date
Wed, 13 Mar 2019, 3:47PM

Martin Devlin: ICC rankings don't reflect a dud summer of cricket

Author
Newstalk ZB ,
Publish Date
Wed, 13 Mar 2019, 3:47PM

The Black Caps summer is about to end. Fizzle out, more like.

A succession of opponents not quite overshadowing but certainly somewhat dulling our team's impressive victories.

Sri Lanka were average. And that's being kind.

The side that flew to South Africa and won a test series 2-nil was not the same side that so meekly lost by 423 runs in the second test here – even if the players coincidentally had exactly the same names.

Whatever happened on that flight across the Indian Ocean, the elixir taken worked better than anyone, especially the home side, could've possibly predicted.

The Black Cap's are currently the number two side in world test cricket. Who says? The ICC rankings, that's who! The only official definitive statement in terms of credibility and believability based entirely on results over a four-year period.

Now, I don't know nor care how they work this thing out, whether it's points awarded home and away, obviously the two-test series vs the two-test series provides some variables plus there's got to be a Duckworth-Lewis actuarial equation employed to work out whether an away win vs Pakistan is worth more than an away win in Zimbabwe.

In the end, it's one big whatever. At some point they'll rule an imaginary line around it and award cash prizes for positions achieved, then and only then it'll become important again.

Because seriously, who really cares, do you?

Me, I'm not sure if the Black Caps are second best. Right now, I'm more happy knowing that this team will never settle for being it.

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