Australia’s triumph in the ICC World Test Championship final against India last year at The Oval marked a significant milestone in their cricketing journey. Now, after the annual update of the ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings, Australia has reclaimed the coveted No. 1 position. The update, which excludes results from the 2020-21 season, reflects all series completed since May 2021.
With 124 rating points, Australia leads the table, closely trailed by India with just four points separating them. England sits comfortably in third place, 15 points adrift of India. South Africa is the fourth team to surpass the 100-point mark, securing 103 points.
India’s slight slip in the rankings can be attributed to the exclusion of their 2-1 series win in Australia in 2020-21. This adjustment has caused a reshuffle in the rankings, although the order of teams from third to ninth remains unchanged.
Interestingly, only nine teams are currently ranked, as Afghanistan, Ireland, and Zimbabwe have yet to play sufficient Tests to qualify. To be included in the rankings table, teams must have participated in a minimum of eight Tests over three years.
While India may have yielded the No. 1 spot in Test rankings, they continue to dominate in the ODI and T20I formats. Despite their loss to Australia in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup final, India has extended their lead over Australia in ODI rankings from three to six points.
Meanwhile, in T20I rankings, Australia has surged ahead of England to claim the second position, trailing India by seven points. South Africa’s impressive performance has seen them leapfrogging two places to secure the third position, closely followed by New Zealand and the West Indies.
Outside the top 20, notable movements include Spain, Isle of Man, and Switzerland, each making significant rating gains. In total, 86 countries have played at least eight T20Is in the past three years, earning them a spot in the rankings.
With cricket’s global landscape continually evolving, these rankings offer insights into the competitive dynamics shaping the sport across formats and nations.
