All test matches are equal, but some are more equal than others. The International Cricket Council recently instituted a system whereby the two best teams in the world would play off against each other, periodically: the first such match has just been played out between India and New Zealand and the latter, so cruelly robbed in the 50-over world cup, managed to win. It's a great triumph for a small nation where cricket isn't even the principal national sport, and for a side with many good players but more notable for its team ethos than its stars. Meanwhile, I had to change my algorithm to calculate the ratings, which had no previous facility to record a match played on neutral ground. Fittingly, the win takes New Zealand top in my ratings for the first time ever. At the same time, South Africa have just completed a 2-0 win in West Indies, so my rankings now look like this:
- New Zealand 260 +24
- India 243 -23
- Australia 177
- England 155
- Pakistan 118
- South Africa 104 +20
- Sri Lanka 20
- West Indies -26 -20
- Bangladesh -148
- Zimbabwe -261
- Afghanistan -303
- Ireland -338
Oddly, the Test Championship doesn't affect the official ratings, which are based only on series of two games or more; however, New Zealand had already taken first place after beating England earlier in the month.
- New Zealand 123
- India 121
- Australia 108
- England 107
- Pakistan 94
- South Africa 88 +8
- West Indies 78 -6
- Sri Lanka 78
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Bangladesh 46
- Zimbabwe 35
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