INDIA OVERTAKE AUSTRALIA TO BECOME NO. 1 TEST SIDE

INDIA CONSOLIDATE POSITION AT TOP OF T20I RANKINGS

Khel Today Bureau 
Dubai: India have overtaken Australia to regain No.1 position in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings following the annual update that drops results from the 2019-20 season and reflects all series completed since May 2020.

India’s rating points have moved up from 119 to 121 as their 2-0 defeat to New Zealand in March 2020 no longer figures in the rankings, which assesses series completed prior to May 2022 at 50 per cent and subsequent series at 100 per cent. India were last at the top for a month in December 2021.

Australia have slipped from 122 to 116 rating points as their home series wins over Pakistan (2-0) and New Zealand (3-0) in 2019-20 no longer figure in the rankings, while their 4-0 win over England in 2021-22 has its weighting halved to 50 per cent.

Australia, who take on India in the final of the ICC World Test Championship 2023 at The Oval from 7 June, were the top-ranked Test side since January 2022. They grabbed the position with the 4-0 series win over England that helped them overtake New Zealand.

England remain in third position but the gap between them and the second placed side is reduced from 13 to two rating points owing to some consistent performances in recent months as well as reduced weightage of their 4-0 Ashes defeat and a 1-0 defeat in the West Indies.

The other rankings too remain unchanged though 10th-placed Zimbabwe have gained five rating points. Afghanistan and Ireland have yet to play enough Tests to earn a place in the rankings table.

In the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings, India have consolidated their position at the top, increasing their lead over second-placed England from six to eight points. New Zealand have overtaken Pakistan and South Africa to third position.

The biggest ratings jumps are by Hong Kong (up three places to 18th) and USA (up three places to 22nd).

Oman and Papua New Guinea are down two places each to 20th and 21st, respectively, while Singapore have slipped six places to 36th.

In all, 84 countries are now ranked, having played the minimum requirement of six T20I matches over the past three years.

Turkey drop off the table, having fallen below the threshold of six matches, while five countries – Brazil, Chile, Iran, Mexico and Peru – have not played at all since May 2020 and so lose their rating.

The annual update to the ODI team rankings will be carried out on 10 May after the ongoing Pakistan-New Zealand series.

MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings (as of 2 May, following the annual update):