Sri Lanka, the losing finalist of the ICC World Twenty20 2012, is currently ranked number-one on the Reliance ICC T20I Championship Table with 127 ratings points and leads second-placed West Indies by five ratings points.
However, if seventh-ranked Australia wins both its games against Sri Lanka, then Angelo Mathews' side will drop down to fourth place on 117 ratings points, putting West Indies at the top of the table. A 2-0 series win for George Bailey's side would see it gain eight ratings points to join sixth-ranked Pakistan on 116 ratings points but below Mohammad Hafeez's side when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point.
Australia next plays West Indies in a one-off Twenty20 International on 13 February at Brisbane. A positive result for Australia against Sri Lanka could help West Indies strengthen its claim for the number-one rank in the one-off match.
As far as Sri Lanka is concerned, even one win in the two-match series will be enough for it to retain the number-one rank. Nevertheless, it would result in dropping at least two ratings points.
In the event of Sri Lanka winning the series 2-0 against Australia, it would strengthen its hold at the number-one position with 131 ratings points, nine ahead of the West Indies.
To find out exactly how the forthcoming series will affect the T20I Championship Table, please click here. The T20I and ODI Championship table is updated after every match, unlike the Test Championship table, which is updated after every match.
The batting table is headed by Australia's Shane Watson, who will be missing in action due to an injury, followed by Chris Gayle in second and Brendon McCullum in third position.
There are three other batsmen inside the top 20 who are likely to be seen in action in the series, including Mahela Jayawardena in fourth, David Warner in 10th and Tillakratne Dilshan in 11th.
The bowlers' table is headed by Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal, followed by Ajantha Mendis in second place and England's Graeme Swann in third.
Apart from Mendis, Sri Lanka has three more bowlers inside the top 20-Nuwan Kulasekara in sixth, Angelo Mathews in ninth and Lasith Malinga in 14th.
Watson heads the all-rounders' table as well, with Mohammad Hafeez in second place and Yuvraj Singh in third position.
The player rankings will now be updated on 29 January.
Upcoming fixture
Australia v Sri Lanka
28 Jan - Second T20I (d/n), Melbourne.
