Australian cricket team slumps to lowest ODI ranking in 34 years

Five-time World Cup winners Australia have sunk to a 34-year low, slipping to the sixth position behind Pakistan in ICC ODI rankings, following their defeats to England in the first two ODIs of the ongoing five-match series.

Australia, who are trailing 0-2, will need to bring about a drastic turnaround in their fortunes when they take on Eoin Morgan’s England on Tuesday in the third game at Nottingham to avoid further embarrassment.

According to cricket.com.au, only a win or a washout would save the defending champions for an unwanted record — they have never lost four bilateral series on the trot (a minimum of two matches).

The defeat in the first two games have resulted in Australia dropping to 102 rating points, a ‘fraction of a point’ below Pakistan, the report added.

It was in January 1984 when Australia were placed sixth in the world rankings, with veteran Shaun Marsh being the only member of the current squad being born at that time.

Marsh fought hard with a century in the second ODI after England set their record score (342/8) against Australia, but the visitors succumbed to their 13th defeat in their last 15 matches.

Australia’s embattled captain Tim Paine, who has been instated at the helm with no clarity over the team’s future and build-up to the next year’s 50-over summit in England, asserted that he is confident of a turnaround.

“I think we can (win), I really do. I think our best cricket is good enough to beat these guys, we just haven’t put the complete package together. In the first game we didn’t bat well, and (in Cardiff) we didn’t bowl as well as we would have liked,” Paine said.

On his part, Marsh has claimed Australia need to improve a lot.

“We know we need to improve a fair bit to get that win. We’re heading in the right direction but we still need lots of improvement. Hopefully we can see that in a few days’ time and try and get back into this series,” Marsh said.