DUBAI (Kashmir English): Pakistan witnessed decline in all three formats as the International Cricket Council (ICC) issued its annual men’s team rankings update on Monday.
Australia continues dominating in Tests in the ICC Men’s Test Team Ranking, maintaining their rating of 126, while India keeps a firm grip on the top spot both in ODIs and T20Is.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka, riding a string of strong home performances, has emerged as one of the biggest gainers across all three formats.
On the other hand, Australian team points drop from 15 to 13 after the annual update which counts matches played since May 2024 at full value (100%) and those from the previous two years at half value (50%).
England surged into second place after they played good Test cricket, winning three out of their four series in the year.
The team now stands at 113 in the rating, pushing South Africa (111) and India (105) down to third and fourth position, respectively.
The rest of the top 10 remains unchanged; New Zealand at fifth, followed by Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.
At present, only 10 teams are ranked in Tests. Ireland must play one more Test within the next year to become eligible, while Afghanistan require three more matches to join the list.
ICC ODI ranking
As far as ODI cricket is concerned, India have further strengthened their position at the top as a result of their winning campaign the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Their rating improved from 122 to 124.
The Champions Trophy runners-up, New Zealand, moved into second place, overtaking Australia, who now sit third.
Sri Lanka enjoyed a remarkable jump, moving into fourth position after recent ODI series wins over both Australia and India.
With Sri Lanka moving to fourth place, Pakistan dropped to fifth (+1 point) and South Africa sixth (-4 points). Afghanistan, meanwhile, climbed to seventh with a four-point boost, edging England down to eighth.
West Indies advanced to ninth after a five-point gain, while Bangladesh slipped to tenth after losing four points.
In T20 Internationals, India, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup champions, continue to hold the top position.
However, their lead margin over second-placed Australia has narrowed from 10 to nine points.
The 2022 champions, England, are third, followed by New Zealand, West Indies, and South Africa in the next three spots.
Sri Lanka’s upward trajectory continues as they rose to seventh, pushing Pakistan behind, who slipped to eighth.
Bangladesh and Afghanistan complete the top 10. Ireland improved to 11th, swapping positions with Zimbabwe.
