Ben on...Australia still the best, but just

An 11/3 win/loss ratio for 2006/7 has nudged South Africa's ICC rating to 127, while Australia's rating has dwindled over the past two years from a high of 140 to a mere 130.

A quick play with the Predictor shows that there is a possibility that South Africa could go into the World Cup as the highest ranked team.

If South Africa beats Pakistan tomorrow, they will raise their rating to 128. Whereas, Australia must win 2 of the 3 Chappell–Hadlee matches to retain first place. (And it is an odd consequence of the system that even if they do win 2 out of 3 matches, their rating will still fall.)

Based on the ratings trends, you would expect South Africa to rise and Australia to drop. However, the one team, apart from Zimbabwe, that has fallen faster in the rankings than Australia in the last year is New Zealand.