Ponting remains top ODI batsman, Gibbs smashes his way to 11th

Dubai, Mar 13 (UNI) Australian captain Ricky Ponting's fiery 164-run innings at the Wanderers was not enough to secure victory for his side in the decisive One Dayer match against South Africa but it did push him to a new record points tally at the top of the LG ICC ODI batting rankings.

Ponting's personal best total has increased the lead he holds over teammate Adam Gilchrist at the top of the official table.

Fellow Australian, Andrew Symonds, has also reached a new personal best in climbing to third place in the batting rankings after the ''greatest ever one-day game'' which saw record books being rewritten.

Not surprisingly, South African smasher Herschelle Gibbs, whose astonishing 175-run innings paved the way for the victory, also helped him improve from 22nd to 11th over the course of the series.

Gibbs is now the second ranked South African batsman behind skipper Graeme Smith who is back in the top four after scoring 244 runs in the series.

The high scoring series finale has had a negative impact on several bowlers with Brett Lee dropping out of the top three to sixth place, well below the career best ranking he held just over a month ago.

On a brighter note for Australia, Nathan Bracken has moved up into the top 10 for the first time.

The series victory means that South Africa are likely to be the second-seeded side in the ICC Champions Trophy this October. This will ensure they avoid Australia in the group phase of the event in India.

Australia's rating is the lowest it has been since October 2003 but they still retain a comfortable 15-point lead over their nearest rival.

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