Two slightly surprising matches have been played this month. Firstly, Zimbabwe won their first test match away from home since 2001, seeing off Bangladesh; and England won their first away victory since 2016, beating Sri Lanka. The effect on my world ratings is as follows:
India 183
England 177 +28
South Africa 175
New Zealand 134
Sri Lanka 130 -26
Australia 129
Pakistan 113
West Indies 1
Bangladesh -129 -36
Zimbabwe -243 +36
Ireland -319
Afghanistan -351
The recent changes made to my world rating system make them especially sensitive to unexpected away victories. Are England really the 2nd best team in the world, and moreover, within a whisker of first place? Well, they thashed top-placed India this summer, and moreover have now registered a good away win, albeit in just one game so far. Meanwhile, Australia are struggling. In truth, it's not clear who the best team in the world is right now. England's surge maybe feels overdone, but it's actually an arguable positon, and a strong recovery from a rating of just 9 at the end of last winter's tours. More matches to come in both these series; also, New Zealand will shortly be hosted by Pakistan in the U.A.E.
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