Thursday, April 28, 2011

Afridi hits out at ICC's ODI ranking system

Pakistan one-day captain Shahid Afridi Thursday hit out at the rankings system of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Afridi expressed his reservations about the current rankings system after getting to know that Pakistan will not earn a point even if they end up winning the one-day series against the West Indies 5-0. They lead the series 2-0 and are sixth in the ODI rankings.

'I can't understand this system. There should be some advantage for the visiting sides as winning a series is never easy for them no matter who they are playing against,' Afridi told The Express Tribune.

If Pakistan win by 4-1 or a 3-2 margin, they will end losing points in the ranking ladder.

'It's really difficult to prosper under the current ranking system. I have little clue what it is based on,' said Afridi.

Afridi, however, said that his team is focused on winning the series. 'We will give our best to seal the series, which is our main focus. It will boost the morale of the young team.'

Former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara had also criticised the ranking system by calling it 'unfair'.