Australia need a series win to maintain lead

Australia's 15-point lead over South Africa in the ICC's Test Championship table could become less cushy if they fail to win the forthcoming two-Test series against Sri Lanka. But while a 2-0 result in their favour would raise Australia's rating by only a single point, taking them to 128, a 1-0 win would make no difference to their standing.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will benefit even with a drawn series. Their current tally of 94 would increase to 97, while an improbable 2-0 series victory would take them to 101 points. They would jump from 7th place to 5th, overtaking New Zealand and Pakistan.

It will be the last series completed before the ICC updates its Test Championship table on August 1. Only matches played after August 1, 2001 will be taken into account, while the value of matches between then and 31 July 2002 will drop by 50%.