Australia’s status as a Test powerhouse may have been masked by their comfortable victories against the West Indies and Pakistan last summer, but they can no longer ignore the latest official rankings. Following the annual evaluation of all nine Test teams and the conclusion of two series, Australia could plummet to as low as No.5 this month. That would position Ricky Ponting’s squad just ahead of Pakistan and the lesser teams, which include the West Indies, New Zealand, and Bangladesh. Furthermore, the upcoming Ashes campaign could see England overtaking Australia in the rankings.
Nonetheless, there is a silver lining as Australia has strengthened its lead in the one-day format, entering next year’s World Cup as favorites to clinch the trophy for the fourth consecutive time.
On the International Cricket Council’s complex Test rating scale, Australia has fallen to 113 points. England is trailing closely behind at 111 and could surpass them with a 3-0 or 4-0 performance in their current series against Pakistan. With a substantial 1-0 series lead achieved after dismissing Pakistan for a mere 80 runs yesterday at Trent Bridge, their chances look promising.
England’s emphatic 354-run win was attributed to outstanding swing bowling from James Anderson, who recorded 6-17 in the second innings, resulting in remarkable match figures of 11 for 71. Should Sri Lanka secure a victory in their upcoming third Test against India, starting tomorrow, England would leap to second place, pushing Australia to an unprecedented low ranking of fourth. A combination of a Sri Lankan win this week and an English overall triumph over Pakistan could see Australia drop to fifth in the rankings.
The revised rankings came into effect yesterday after dismissing results from the year that preceded August 2007. This mathematical adjustment was always destined to negatively impact Australia’s ranking since the 2006-07 period included only the Ashes series, which Australia dominated with a 5-0 victory.
When the results from 2006-07 were excluded, Australia lost three points, as their recent record of nine wins from 12 matches—still the best among Test nations—paled in comparison to their flawless run from four years prior.
During the latest ranking evaluation period, Australia experienced just two losses: the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval, under Ponting’s leadership, which resulted in the loss of the trophy for the second time, and their most recent encounter with Pakistan in Leeds.
They achieved a 2-0 home series victory against the West Indies last summer, followed by a 3-0 sweep of Pakistan and a 2-0 win over New Zealand.
India emerged as the most significant beneficiary from the ranking review, adding six points to extend their lead over second-placed South Africa by 11 points.
Test rankings:
1. India 130 points.
2. South Africa 119 points.
3. Australia 113 points.
4. England 111 points.
5. Sri Lanka 111 points.
6. Pakistan 84 points.
7. West Indies 79 points.
8. New Zealand 78 points.
9. Bangladesh 7 points.
