South Africa top ODI table

South Africa © Getty Images

South Africa's toppling of Australia from the head of the International Cricket Council one-day rankings has given captain Graeme Smith more than one reason to smile.

Not only have Smith's men taken top spot, but they have also ensured they will top the table on April 1, meaning they will receive US$175,000.

Reflecting on South Africa's achievement in reaching the summit, Smith said: “Australia has been awesome at times but hopefully this will be the start of a period when South Africa will be right up there.

“We have the talent and if we can control the small things – get better as people, get better as players – those things will go a long way to proving that.”

Expressing his satisfaction at his team's ODI form, Smith said: “Outside of winning World Cups and world championships, it (the rankings) is the next most important thing.

“You have to be consistent to be ranked number one and I think we have reached that level of consistency over a period of time.

“We have performed very well and I am very proud of what the guys have achieved over the last two years.”

Smith also suggested the team hitting top placing in the rankings was ahead of schedule.

“It is more of an end goal for us," he said. “Having it now is a huge achievement.

“We are a fairly young country in terms of our international careers since the end of apartheid and to have the number one ranking and to have players who hold world records and other landmarks is something special for the country.

“Being number one is a reward for all of us but hopefully it is just the beginning of what is a very tough year – away series against India, England and Australia.

Graeme Smith is hugely proud of his ODI team © Getty Images

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Cricket South Africa chief executive Gerald Majola added his own praise for the team.

“The Proteas achievement in winning the Bangladesh ODI and Test series on top of doing the same against Pakistan recently is one of the best achievements by a non-subcontinent team,” he commented.

“The individual highlights have been numerous, but standing above them all has been the performance of Graeme Smith, both as a captain and as a batsman.

“Graeme has led from the front from the start and the team followed him all the way.

“CSA has confidence that this outfit will continue on its winning ways and win the sub-continent treble by beating India later this month.

“As things stand now, Graeme and his team are the best ODI side in the world and are looking to clinch their spot as the second best Test squad.

“This is a remarkable achievement, considering that the team has been on the subcontinent for an extended period, and it shows that South African cricket now has both fortitude and variety.”

The number one position was guaranteed by victory in the final ODI against Bangladesh which secured a 3-0 series win.

That clean sweep was enough to lift South Africa above Australia, when the teams' ratings were calculated including decimal places.

Australia earn $75,000 for their one-day ranking, and also pick up $175,000 and retain the Test mace for continuing to dominate the Test Championship.

Captain Ricky Ponting believes the number one Test ranking illustrated the success of his team during the year, saying: “During the period in question we equalled our own world-record run of 16 consecutive Test match victories.

“We played some really good Test match cricket to achieve a 2-0 series victory against Sri Lanka and a 2-1 series victory against India, both at home.

"We won four of the six Test matches we played to secure this award and our ranking on the ICC list illustrates the success of our Test team during the year.”

Second-placed India collect $75,000 for their improvement since April last year, including series wins against England and Pakistan and a 2-1 loss in a thrilling series against Australia.