New Zealand lost their first test match in Sri Lanka recently, but came back to win the 2nd test. India are other tourists who have done well, thrashing the West Indies in both matches of their recent series. Australia also made a great start in England, reaching the brink of a 2-0 lead (with two to play) that would have ensured they retained the Ashes. But in one of the most remarkable test matches of all time the hosts, who'd been bowled all out for a pathetic 67 in their first innings, scored more than this from their last wicket of the match, to rescue the game. Hero for the home team was Ben Stokes, scoring an improbable six-heavy century while farming the strike. The net effect on my world ratings is as follows:
India 227 +23
New Zealand 160 +23
England 159 +18
Australia 151 -18
South Africa 140
Sri Lanka 113 -22
Pakistan 80
West Indies -22 -24
Bangladesh -83
Zimbabwe -252
Afghanistan -334
Ireland -339
So India are dominant, but it's very close for 2nd place. The latest official ratings are as follows:
India 113 -3
New Zealand 109 +1
South Africa 108 +3
England 105 +1
Australia 98 -6
Sri Lanka 95 +2
Pakistan 84 -4
West Indies 82 +5
Bangladesh 65 +3
Afghanistan 25
Zimbabwe 16 +3
Ireland 0
These are extended for the first time to include test newbies Afghanistan and Ireland; the former already ranked above Zimbabwe. They also show signs of their annual reset - whereas my ratings are continuously updated, the matches that count in the official rankings are reconsidered annually. so everyone's rating has changed since I last looked. But the pecking order is pretty much unchanged and similar to my list, except for the relatively elevated position enjoyed by South Africa.
Next up: two more tests to decide the Ashes, and a one-off match between Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
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