Cricket World Ratings 27th July 2025

India could still draw their five match series in England: they trail 2-1, but have just recovered from a poor start (losing two wickets in thefirst over of their second innings and still facing a 300 run deficit) to draw the fourth test. The effect (of drawing an away game, against slightly higher-rated opponents), is to move the two teams to almost exact equality in my rankings:

1. Australia     289 
2. South Africa  229 
3. England       170  -6 
4. India         169  +6 
5. New Zealand   148 
6. Sri Lanka      42   
7. Pakistan       12  
8. West Indies   -40 
9. Bangladesh   -109     
   
10. Ireland      -275   
    
11. Afghanistan  -306        
    
12. Zimbabwe     -328     
    

The decider starts next week. New Zealand will also be in action, playing the first of two games in Zimbabwe.

Cricket World Ratings 15th July 2025

A lot has happened in the last month of test cricket. England have won two and lost one of the first three games in their five match series at home to India; Sri Lanka have won at home to Bangladesh; Australia have won three out of three in the West Indies; and South Africa have one twice in Zimabawe.  My world ratings now look as follows:

1. Australia     289 +23 
2. South Africa  229  +3
3. England       176  +5
4. India         163  -4
5. New Zealand   148 
6. Sri Lanka      42   
7. Pakistan       12  
8. West Indies   -40 -22   
   
9. Bangladesh   -109  -9   
   
10. Ireland      -275   
    
11. Afghanistan  -306        
    
12. Zimbabwe     -328  -4   
    

The series in Sri Lanka, the West Indies, and Zimbabwe, having all completed, have fed into the official rankings as well:

1. Australia     124  +1 
2. South Africa  115  +1  
3. England       113     
   
4. India         105  
5. New Zealand    95      
6. Sri Lanka      88  +1   
7. Pakistan       78    
8. West Indies    72  -1     
9. Bangladesh     62          
10. Ireland        30  
    
11. Afghanistan    21  
12. Zimbabwe       10  -2   
    

The fourth England v India match starts next week.

 

Cricket World Ratings 15th June 2025

The idea of the World Test Championship is every two years to stage a one-off game between the two best teams in the world, on the basis of the results in the intervening period.  The method used to identify those teams is, somewhat strangely, not the record used in the official test team rankings.  However, the teams selected for this year's match were the world's official top two, and also the top two teams in my rankings.  All these criteria put Australia a long way ahead of South Africa, but in fact the underdogs managed to come from behind to win the game. The effect on my ratings is as follows:

1. Australia     266 -29 
2. South Africa  226 +29
3. England       171
4. India         167
5. New Zealand   148 
6. Sri Lanka      49 
7. Pakistan       12  
8. West Indies   -18  
   
9. Bangladesh   -115    
   
10. Ireland      -275   
    
11. Afghanistan  -306        
    
12. Zimbabwe     -324   
    

And the official rating (which unlike mine, can change with time even for teams that play no matches), now look like this:

1. Australia     123  -4  
2. South Africa  114  +2  
3. England       113  +8   
   
4. India         105  -4
5. New Zealand    95  -2    
6. Sri Lanka      87  +1   
7. Pakistan       78  -4  
8. West Indies    73  -3     
9. Bangladesh     62  +1        
10. Ireland        30  
    
11. Afghanistan    21  +2 
12. Zimbabwe       12   
    

So in spite of the result, both systems still assert that Australia are the top team. In fact, both systems now present an identical pecking order, albeit with differing margins. Shortly, Bangladesh will visit Sri Lanka, and India will begin a tour of England.

 

Cricket World Ratings 24th May 2025

Prior to their recent game, England had last hosted Zimbabwe in test cricket in 2003.  It's obviously good that the giants of test cricket sometimes face the minnows but the home side's innings win was hardly a surprise.  Indeed, my ratings, which adjust after each match on the basis of whether a team has exceeded or fallen short of expectations, barely touches the ratings of either side after this game, and they now look like this:

1. Australia     295 
2. South Africa  197
3. England       172  +1
4. India         167
5. New Zealand   148 
6. Sri Lanka      49 
7. Pakistan       12  
8. West Indies   -18  
   
9. Bangladesh   -115 
   
10. Ireland      -275   
    
11. Afghanistan  -306        
    
12. Zimbabwe     -325  -1
    

The next test is rather more interesting: Australia and South Africa face off on neutral territory in the world test championship final.  The ICC has a complex system for determining who gets to play in this game; but my ratings agree these are the two best sides in the world, albeit with some difference between them.

Test Cricket Ratings 2nd May 2025

Zimbabwe travelled to Bangldesh at a very low ebb, but surprsingly managed to win their first test.  The second test saw the home side level the series, but this expected result only marginally undoes the result of the first game (which moved the two teams' ratings each by over 40 points):

1. Australia     295 
2. South Africa  197
3. England       171
4. India         167
5. New Zealand   148 
6. Sri Lanka      49 
7. Pakistan       12  
8. West Indies   -18  
   
9. Bangladesh   -115  +6 
   
10. Ireland      -275   
    
11. Afghanistan  -306        
    
12. Zimbabwe     -324  -6
    

In the official ratings, Zimbabwe have also improved their score, although as it was zero before it could not have got worse:

1. Australia     127  
2. South Africa  112  -2  
3. India         109   
   
4. England       105 
5. New Zealand    97    
6. Sri Lanka      86   
7. Pakistan       82  +2  
8. West Indies    76     
9. Bangladesh     61  -4        
10. Ireland        30  
    
11. Afghanistan    19 
12. Zimbabwe       12 +12 
    

What would be more unexpected would be if Zimbabwe were to get another game result in their next game, as that is in England, it's played at the end of the month.

Test Cricket Ratings 24th April 2025

Recent positive results for Ireland and Afghanistan had dropped Zimbabwe down to last place in my ratings, in spite of their much longer test pedigree.  But they have just secured a surprise win in the first of two games they have scheduled in Bangladesh. This single result alone hasn't lifted them off the bottom, but it has certainly narrowed the gap between them and their nearest rivals, while setting back their horst who never quite seem able to break into the top eight.

1. Australia     295 
2. South Africa  197
3. England       171
4. India         167
5. New Zealand   148 
6. Sri Lanka      49 
7. Pakistan       12  
8. West Indies   -18  
   
9. Bangladesh   -121 -40 
   
10. Ireland      -275   
    
11. Afghanistan  -306        
    
12. Zimbabwe     -318 +39

A second good result for the visitors could change the order; the next match begins early next week.

Test Cricket Ratings 10th February 2025

Australia have just completed an effective 2-0 win in Sri Lanka, consolidating their first place in my world ratings.  Meanwhile, Ireland have just won an away game in Zimbabwe.  Their hosts have lost 9 our of 11 games since they last won a test in 2021. In my ratings, they've never been lower rated, nor have Ireland been rated higher:

1. Australia     295 +12
2. South Africa  197
3. England       171
4. India         167
5. New Zealand   148 
6. Sri Lanka      49 -11
   
7. Pakistan       12  
8. West Indies   -18  
   
9. Bangladesh    -81  
   
10. Ireland      -275 +24  
    
11. Afghanistan  -306        
    
12. Zimbabwe     -357 -24

Bangldesh did once have a rating of -370, though, so Zimbabwe's score is not quite the lowest of all time. Meanwhile, the official ratings now look like this:

1. Australia     127  +1
2. South Africa  114  
3. India         109   
   
4. England       105 
5. New Zealand    97    
6. Sri Lanka      86  -1  
7. Pakistan       80  
8. West Indies    76     
9. Bangladesh     65        
10. Ireland        30  +4 
    
11. Afghanistan    19 
12. Zimbabwe        0  

And that's it for over three months.  Zimbabwe can try to turn their fortunes around in May, when test cricket restarts with their visit to England.