Cricket World Ratings 23rd August 2018

The famous Ashes series of 2005 turned when a confident Australian side made an ill-fated decision to put England into bat first in the second test, fancying that England's batsmen would embarras themselves, as they had done in the previous match.  They didn't, and England won the series.  Now, in England's current series against India, the hosts have surrendered their initiative in a similar fashion, although they presently retain a series lead.  The series is turning out to be a contest between two flawed sides: England can, as usual, bowl well in English conditions; for once, India also have a strong seam attack; but few players on either side look capable of batting well, Virat Kolhi the most notable exception.  England remain series favourites, but to complete a victory, they're surely going to need to discover some batsmen able to score runs. A defeat in the the third test would have knocked India off the top of my world rankings: as it is, they have extended their lead, though it's still not guaranteed to survive the series.

India         200 +13
South Africa  179  
Australia     166  
New Zealand   144
Sri Lanka     125  
England       110 -13  
Pakistan       40  
West Indies    15    
Bangladesh    -99 
Zimbabwe     -260
Ireland      -295
Afghanistan  -325

Cricket World Ratings 14th August 2018

India have been very strong over the last couple of years, but mainly playing at home; now they've followed a narrow away defeat to South Africa with two straight losses in England.  The greatest teams win home and away; but India now seem unlikely to assert their greatness on this tour, although with three matches still to be played, there's always the (unlikely) possibility of a truly world-class fightback.  Credit must go to England's evergreen bowler James Anderson, still a master of his art at the age of 36, though England's reliance on swing bowlers like Anderson is their own weakness in many parts of the world.  The complete failure of India's supposedly talented batting line up, meanwhile, has to be considered a major diappointment; save captain Kohli, they've hardly scored a run in the first two tests.

For the moment, India remain atop my world ratings, though this status will surely not survive a third consecutive defeat:

India         187 -23
South Africa  179  
Australia     166  
New Zealand   144
Sri Lanka     125  
England       123 +23  
Pakistan       40  
West Indies    15    
Bangladesh    -99 
Zimbabwe     -260
Ireland      -295
Afghanistan  -325

Cricket World Ratings 7th August 2018

Recently, Sri Lanka won at home against Sri Lanka; now, England have won their first test at home against India.  It was a close win in a gripping game where Virat Kohli was the standout player but couldn't quite swing things for his side.  It's another demonstration of how much a team's results depend on whether they are playing at home; for this Indian team, there are still four tests to go to prove that they are a great side, that can be fully competitive in unfamilliar conditions, and not merely a good one.  England will lack Ben Stokes for their next game - the violent incident that led to him missing last winter's Ashes series is finally now at trial.  Meanwhile, England's win has changed my world ratings without overturning the pecking order.

India         210 -26
South Africa  179  
Australia     166  
New Zealand   144
Sri Lanka     125  
England       100 +26  
Pakistan       40  
West Indies    15    
Bangladesh    -99 
Zimbabwe     -260
Ireland      -295
Afghanistan  -325