England and New Zealand go head-to-head for third place in Test table

Third place in the ICC Test Championship table is up for grabs for England or New Zealand as the two sides prepare for the three-match npower Test series beginning on Thursday (20 May) at Lord's.

England, currently sitting in third place with a rating of 103, needs a series tie to maintain its position and rating in the table.

England reclaimed third spot in the official table (a position it lost after defeat to Sri Lanka in December) after its 3-0 Test series win in the West Indies in March - England's first series win in the Caribbean in 36 years.

A 3-0 whitewash by the hosts against New Zealand would see England's rating improve to 107 and close the gap to second-placed South Africa (112). Such a result would see New Zealand plummet to seventh place in the table, with a ratings slide of five points from 101 to 96.

England will still improve its rating with a 1-0, 2-1 or 2-0 series win, while those scenarios would see New Zealand's rating fall to 99 or 97 respectively.

New Zealand last toured in England in 1999 and on that occasion Stephen Fleming's team recorded a 2-1 series win.

Its recent form however has been modest, drawing 1-1 at home against South Africa in March and losing 1-0 on home soil to Pakistan in December but it lies fifth in the table going into this series.

New Zealand can improve its rating from 102 to 107 with a 3-0 series win, while a 1-0, 2-1 or 2-0 series victory will also see the Kiwis advance to third position in the table, overtaking England and India.

If England loses the series, its rating could fall to as low as 99.

A tied series would be enough to lift New Zealand level with India on 102 points.

The ICC Test Championship table correct on 18 May 2004

Note: If ratings are equal, the ratings calculation is refined to three decimal places to determine the higher ranked team.

Full scenarios for England v New Zealand Test series:

Clive Lloyd from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Referees will officiate on the series. Darrell Hair and Rudi Koertzen from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires will stand in the First Test. Koertzen has been called up as a last minute replacement for Aleem Dar who has sustained a knee injury.

Steve Bucknor and Simon Taufel will officiate in the Second Test while Daryl Harper will join Taufel for the final Test at Trent Bridge.

The official Test table is updated at the end of each series once the final outcome of the series is known. The winning team from a Test series receives bonus points equivalent to one additional match victory.

The impact future results will have on the ratings is available on the ICC website. For a full explanation of how the ratings are calculated, visit www.icc.cricket.org.

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