England eye rankings jackpot

England will win a $175,000 jackpot for topping the world Test rankings if they win the series against Pakistan or lose by a single match, the International Cricket Council announced Monday.

The annual award is presented to the side that finishes at the head of the ICC Test championship table on the 1 April.

England, who rose to world number one in ICC Test rankings by beating India 4-0 in August last year, face Pakistan in a three match series in Dubai from Tuesday.

"England will have a chance to the win the $175,000 jackpot for topping the ICC Test championship table when it goes head-to-head with Pakistan in a three-Test series," the ICC said.

They will only lose the jackpot if Pakistan beat them either 2-0 or 3-0, with world number two side South Africa poised to benefit.

South Africa visit New Zealand for a three-Test series between March 7 to 27 and can still snatch the jackpot from England should their rivals lose by more than one Test and they win on their tour.

"In case of a 1-0 or 2-1 series loss, England will finish on 120 ratings points, one ahead of South Africa (assuming it wins 3-0 against New Zealand)," the ICC explained.

"The side that finishes second in the Reliance ICC Test Championship table on the 1 April cut-off date will receive $75,000."

Meanwhile, Australian opener David Warner has made a big move in the ICC player rankings for Test batsmen, which were updated after the Perth Test.

The 25-year-old, man of the match after hitting the joint-fourth fastest century in Test cricket history, jumped 35 places to 34th position.

Australia beat India by an innings and 37 runs inside three days to lead the four-match series 3-0.

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