Dhoni, who is on the second spot of the list with 779 points and an average of 46.84, had to vacate the top slot to Gayle, who have accumulated 783 points with an average of 40.63, thanks to a series of fine performances against New Zealand.

The 29-year-old Jamaican managed an impressive 135 off 129 balls including nine fours and five sixes ¿ in the final ODI against New Zealand in Napier, although his side eventually lost the match.

The left-hand batsman was last ranked number one nearly five years ago (in April 2004) but he has not been out of the top 20 since the middle of 2002, an ICC release said.

India's left-hand batsman Yuvraj Singh slipped one rung down to the sixth place while South Africa captain Graeme Smith slided down two places to be fifth.

Smith is likely to fall even further with injury forcing him out of the upcoming five-match ODI series against Australia, starting on Friday.

However, India's master batsman Sachin Tendulkar retained his 12th spot with 708 points, while Australia skipper Ricky Ponting (740) remaining on the seventh slot.

In the bowlers' list, which is headed by Australia's Nathan Bracken, Zaheer Khan (660) is the only Indian, who retained the 11th spot with economy rate of 4.84.

New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori has slipped from the number one spot to second, while Australia's Mitchell Johnson has gained one place to go fourth in the rankings.