Australia Ascends to No.1 in ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings
In a significant shift in the cricketing world, Australia, the reigning ICC World Test Championship winners, have surpassed India to claim the top spot in the ICC Men’s Test team rankings.
The ICC released their annual team rankings update on Friday, revealing that Pat Cummins’ team has risen to the pinnacle of five-day cricket. This ascent was largely due to their remarkable 209-run victory over India in the World Test Championship decider at The Oval last year.
This victory boosted Australia’s rating to 124 points, placing them four points ahead of their closest rival, India (120), and a substantial 19 points clear of third-placed England (105).
The only change in the top of the Test rankings saw South Africa (103), New Zealand (96), Pakistan (89), Sri Lanka (83), West Indies (82), and Bangladesh (53) retain their positions from fourth to ninth respectively.
Men’s Test Team Rankings
The rankings update considered teams’ performances post-May 2021. Consequently, India’s impressive 2-1 series triumph over Australia under skipper Virat Kohli, which concluded in January 2021, fell outside the rankings period.
All results between May 2021 and May 2023 are weighted at 50 percent, with performances in the following 12 months – including Australia’s World Test Championship final victory – weighted at 100 percent.
Virat Kohli’s cover drive was a sight to behold during the ICC World Test Championship 2023 Final between India and Australia.
Despite losing the top spot in the Test team rankings, India (122 points) continues to lead in both white-ball formats and has extended their lead in ODI cricket to six rating points over Australia (116).
Men’s ODI Team Rankings
South Africa (112) is closing in on Australia, trailing by just four rating points, while Pakistan (106) and New Zealand (101) complete the top five. Sri Lanka (93) is now just two rating points behind sixth-placed England (95), with Bangladesh (86), Afghanistan (80), and West Indies (69) rounding out the top 10.
India (264) continues to dominate the updated T20I rankings, although their lead has been trimmed from 11 points to seven, with Australia (257) leapfrogging England (252) to take second place.
Men’s T20I Team Rankings
South Africa (250) has climbed two spots from sixth to fourth and now sits just two rating points behind England. Pakistan (247) has slipped two places to seventh, while Scotland (192) has made notable progress, overtaking Zimbabwe (191) to secure 12th place.