Dubai: In the latest ICC annual ranking update released on Friday, India has maintained its dominant position in ODIs and T20Is but has ceded the top spot in the men’s Test Team Rankings to Australia.
Following the annual update, which excludes results from the 2020-21 season and reflects all series completed since May 2021, Australia, the reigning World Test champion, has overtaken India in the five-day format.
With a rating of 124, Australia now leads the Test rankings, just four points ahead of India, who hold a rating of 120. Meanwhile, England remains in the third position with a comfortable lead of 15 points over fourth-placed South Africa, which boasts 103 points.
India’s slip in the Test rankings can be attributed to the exclusion of their 2-1 series victory in Australia during the 2020-21 season from the rankings calculation.
Notably, the rankings for teams from third to ninth remain unchanged, with only nine teams currently ranked due to Afghanistan, Ireland, and Zimbabwe not meeting the minimum requirement of playing eight Tests over a three-year period to be included in the rankings.
Despite the shift in the Test rankings, India continues to dominate the ODI and T20I rankings post the annual updates. Matches completed prior to May 2023 are weighted at 50%, while subsequent matches are weighted at 100%.
In ODIs, India, despite their loss to Australia in the World Cup final, have extended their lead over Australia from three to six points, topping the table with 122 points. The top 10 rankings remain unchanged, with Ireland surpassing Zimbabwe to claim the 11th position.
In T20Is, Australia has moved ahead of England to secure the second position, trailing India by seven points. South Africa has made significant progress, jumping two places to third, closely followed by England. New Zealand and the West Indies are in close contention, with only three points separating third from sixth place.
Furthermore, Pakistan has slipped two places to seventh in the T20I rankings, while Scotland has surpassed Zimbabwe to claim the 12th position.
