Thanks to rain, the final test between England and Sri Lanka ended in a draw, though the home side had the better of the match. For England, their last whitewash victory was in 2004, so it's been a long wait and one that will continue. The three-match series still ended in a 2-0 win, and generally the home side's performances were good, albeit under favourable conditions. The middle order of the batting lineup still seems quite unsettled, however. Sri Lanka got better as the series went on but in general, an inexperienced side looked out of its depth in an English early season.
So under my system, the current ratings for the test sides are as follows:
Australia 166
India 116
Pakistan 93
England 89 -6
South Africa 76
New Zealand 43
Sri Lanka -21 +7
West Indies -75
Bangladesh -172
Zimbabwe -315
With England having been favourites to win, the draw costs them a few points and they drop marginally back behind Pakistan in the ratings. These two sides will meet, of course, in the second half of the English summer. Sri Lanka return home to face Australia, while India will tour the West Indies, so the top four sides will all be in action in the next couple of months.
And just for some contrast (which isn't very much contrast at all), here are the current ICC ratings:
Australia 118
India 112
Pakistan 111
England 108
New Zealand 98
South Africa 92
Sri Lanka 85
West Indies 65
Bangladesh 57
Zimbabwe 12
The normal provisos (i.e. that the numbers are not strictly compatible) apply, The only difference in the order is that New Zealand rate above South Africa in the ICC list. In fact, the England-Sri Lanka series hasn't changed the order of the ICC list at all, whereas in my list, England have gained a place (removing a previous point of difference). For what it's worth, the series win gained England 3 points in ICC score (and cost Sri Lanka the same ammount), whereas on my scale, England are now 18 points up after the three games.
