It's been a long time since the West Indies last defeated England in a test series; 2009 in fact, when England hit a low under the captaincy of Andrew Strauss. England came back from that defeat to register a terrific run of victories. But now West Indies have triumphed once again. Having lost the first two test matches, England saved a little pride in the third; but the series has raised serious questions about the balance of their side. My world ratings now look like this:
South Africa 207
India 204
England 173 +16
New Zealand 141
Australia 135
Pakistan 80
Sri Lanka 55
West Indies 2 -17
Bangladesh -73
Zimbabwe -252
Ireland -320
Afghanistan -352
England are even worse off in the official ratings, which intriguingly place New Zealand in an atypically high 3rd place:
India 116
South Africa 110
New Zealand 107
Australia 104
England 104 -4
Sri Lanka 89
Pakistan 88
West Indies 77 +7
Bangladesh 69
Zimbabwe 13
Tomorrow, Sri Lanka begin what could be a tough series in South Africa, while Bangladesh start a tour of New Zealand before the month is out.
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