England Surged to Second Place in ICC Test Rankings, Despite Missing WTC Final Due to Fluctuating Competitor Rankings
England'smeteoric rise to No.2 in the ICC men's Test rankings has caught everyone's attention, thanks to their formidable performances over the past three years.
Starting from May 2024, each Test carries full points, while games played up to two years prior carry only half weightage. This system rewards current form and de-emphasizes the importance of older games. The updated rankings consider matches played from May 2022, which marks the beginning of the 'Bazball' era in English cricket.
Brendon McCullum, who took over as coach of the Test squad in June 2022, has led England through 35 matches, winning 22 and maintaining a stellar win-loss ratio of 1.833. This record ranks second among all 12 teams, with Australia leading the ICC annual rankings with 126 points.
Some may find England's No.2 position surprising, given they have yet to reach the World Test Championship (WTC) final. Despite finishing fourth in the 2021-23 edition, they dropped to fifth this time, managing only 43.18 percentage points.
Breaking Down the Rankings
Unlike the WTC, ICC Test rankings assign points based on the outcome of each Test and series played, while taking into account the strength of the opposition. Alongside match wins, series wins are also awarded. The WTC, however, uses a fixed number of points for each result, irrespective of the opposition's ranking. Series results and wins against higher-ranked teams do not provide additional benefits in the WTC system.
The Road to No.2
In the past three years, England has secured series wins against South Africa, West Indies, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand, with victories in Pakistan and New Zealand away from home. They have also witnessed draws against Australia and New Zealand, along withTest wins against India and Ireland.
The rankings updated in May 2024 list Australia and India as the top two teams, with India occupying the top spot in May 2023. England ranked fourth and fifth in those respectively, but their four wins against those top two sides since May 2022 have boosted their ICC rankings significantly.
England's leapfrog to No.2 was partly fueled by India's poor form, especially in the last year. India claimed just onewin in their last eight matches, losing 3-0 to New Zealand and 4-1 to Australia, while also drawing against West Indies and losing to South Africa – both lower-ranked teams. This left India unable to maximize their points in the ICC rankings.
South Africa, WTC finalists, had a more straightforward route in the tournament, with series wins against Sri Lanka, West Indies, Pakistan, and Bangladesh; a draw against India; and a loss against New Zealand. This enabled them to earn points for the WTC and qualify for the final, but South Africa missed out on challenging for the top spot in the ICC Test rankings, landing at No.3, trailing England by just two points.
England has faced over-rate penalties during the WTC, which deduct points. However, these penalties have no bearing on ICC rankings, contributing significantly to England's lower WTC ranking compared to their ICC Test rankings.
Stay updated with all cricket action, including live scores, match stats, quizzes, latest news, team standings, match highlights, video analysis, and live match odds on our website.
Sports enthusiasts will be interested to read about the latest cricket news, as England's impressive form in Test matches has led them to the No.2 spot in the ICC men's Test rankings. Comparatively, the World Test Championship (WTC) rankings, which factor in a fixed number of points for each result irrespective of the opposition's ranking, place England lower due to over-rate penalties. Despite this, the updated ICC Test rankings highlight England's recent series wins against formidable opponents, such as South Africa, West Indies, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Pakistan, India, and Ireland, which have significantly boosted their position.
