A resounding Ashes victory at home coinciding with India’s bitterly painful 2-1 series loss in South Africa has seen Australia ascend to the number ome spot in the latest ICC Test rankings. The Aussies have climbed above New Zealand and India to reach the No.1 position, with 119 rating points in the latest update.
The Aussies dominated England in their home summer, winning comprehensively in Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Hobart either side of a draw in Sydney to clinch the urn with a 4-0 series scoreline.
The nature of their victories was eye-catching. They defeated the tourists by nine wickets at the Gabba, crushed them by 275 runs at the Adelaide Oval before ruthlessly winning by an innings & 14 runs inside three days at the MCG and conquering the opposition once again at Hobart by a whopping margin of 146 runs.
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The Indians, on the other hand, suffered poor defeats to South Africa in Johannesburg and Cape Town. The tourists began their quest for the final frontier with a great win in Centurion but, in a remarkable turnaround, lost to the inexperienced hosts by seven wickets in each of the following two Tests. This meant that the Virat Kohli-led side, who were favourites to reach the No.1 spot at this point, slipped to No.3 with 116 rating points.
The Kiwis were also in contention for the No.1 spot in the Test rankings, but their shocking loss to Bangladesh in Mount Maunganui and a 1-1 scoreline at home versus the inexperienced Asian rivals dented their hopes significantly. They still stand above the Indians, though, with 117 rating points.
Despite heavy losses Down Under, England retained their fourth spot in the rankings with 101 rating points, while South Africa remained at fifth with 99 rating points even as they relish the high of defeating India.
These five sides are followed by Pakistan at sixth (93 rating points), Sri Lanka (83) at seventh, and West Indies (75), Bangladesh (53) and Zimbabwe (31) at eighth, ninth and tenth, respectively.
The next update to the rankings will be made after coming month’s South Africa tour of New Zealand, where Proteas will have the opportunity to climb up the ladder. India will also host Sri Lanka for a two-match series.
