Cricket Rankings Update: Australia Tops Test Rankings, India Leads in ODIs and T20Is
In a significant shift in the ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings, Australia has reclaimed the top spot after their victory over India in the ICC World Test Championship final at The Oval last year. The annual update, which takes into account all series completed since May 2021 and drops results from the 2020-21 season, has propelled Australia to the lead with 124 rating points.
India, having relinquished the top position to Australia, is trailing by a narrow margin of four points and maintains a comfortable 15-point lead over third-placed England. South Africa rounds off the top four, surpassing the 100-point mark with 103 points.
India’s slip in rankings is primarily due to the exclusion of their 2-1 series victory in Australia during the 2020-21 season from the current rankings.
The rankings from third to ninth position remain unchanged. Currently, only nine teams are ranked as Afghanistan and Ireland have not played enough Tests to qualify, and Zimbabwe, having played only three Tests in the past three years, is also excluded.
To qualify for the rankings table, teams must play a minimum of eight Tests over a three-year period.
Despite the shift in Test rankings, India continues to dominate the ODI and T20I rankings. The annual updates, which give 50 per cent weightage to matches completed prior to May 2023 and 100 per cent to subsequent matches, have kept India at the top.
India may have lost the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup final to Australia, but they have extended their lead over them from three to six points in the ODI rankings, topping the table with 122 points. The top 10 remains unchanged, with Ireland moving up to 11th position, surpassing Zimbabwe.
South Africa, in third place, has reduced their gap with Australia from eight to four points, while Sri Lanka trails fifth-placed England by just two points.
In the T20I rankings, Australia has moved ahead of England to secure second place, trailing India, who leads with 264 rating points, by seven points.
South Africa, after moving up two places, is just two points behind England. New Zealand and the West Indies are closely matched with 250 and 249 points respectively, resulting in a tight competition where just three points separate third-placed England from sixth-placed West Indies.
Other notable changes include Pakistan’s drop to seventh place and Scotland’s rise to 12th position, surpassing Zimbabwe.
Outside the top 20, Spain (30th), Isle of Man (41st), and Switzerland (45th) have made the most significant gains in their rankings.
Currently, 86 countries have played at least eight T20Is in the past three years and have thus earned a ranking. Six countries, including Greece, Mexico, Myanmar, Turkey, Belize, and Cook Island, are on the verge of earning their rankings after playing a few more matches.
The complete men’s team rankings can be found here.