LAHORE, April 27: Pakistan’s seventh place in the International Cricket Council (ICC) ranking will remain unaffected even if they clinch the forthcoming series against New Zealand.

However, if New Zealand managed to inflict a fifth successive home series defeat to Pakistan, they will jump to third place. The Black Caps are currently lying fourth just behind Sri Lanka. The Kiwis’s recent run of form, including drawn series against Australia and England and a win over Bangladesh, has moved them steadily up the Championship table over the past six months. A win here would given them 19 points from 16 series.

The last meeting between the two teams in Pakistan ended in a 1-1 draw in 1996-97, meaning that both teams hold one point from that series. A win for Pakistan this time would keep them in seventh place on the table, but close the gap on the sixth placed West Indies.

A drawn series would mean no change for either side, as the point gained would replace the point held from the last series.

Championship Table

(Tabulated under team, played, won, lost, drawn, points, average):

Australia 13 9 2 2 20 1.54

South Africa 16 11 3 2 24 1.50

Sri Lanka 14 7 5 2 16 1.14

New Zealand 16 7 5 4 18 1.13

England 15 6 6 3 15 1.00

West Indies 14 6 7 1 13 0.93

Pakistan 16 4 7 5 13 0.81

India 14 4 7 3 11 0.79

Zimbabwe 16 3 11 2 8 0.50

Bangladesh 4 0 4 0 0 —