Cricket World Ratings 15th October 2025

Two matches in the Indian subcontinent have recently ended in home wins: India have completed a 2-0 victory over the West Indies, while more notably, Pakistan have defeated South Africa. My world ratings now look like this:

1. Australia     289 
2. India         205  +5 
3. South Africa  197 -32 
4. New Zealand   153   
5. England       143 
6. Pakistan       43 +31 
7. Sri Lanka      42    
8. West Indies   -49  -4    
   
9. Bangladesh   -109     
   
10. Ireland      -275   
    
11. Afghanistan  -306        
    
12. Zimbabwe     -333

The official ratings have incorporated the results of the Indian series:

1. Australia     124  
2. South Africa  115   
3. England       112    
   
4. India         108  +1   
5. New Zealand    96        
6. Sri Lanka      88    
7. Pakistan       78    
8. West Indies    70  -2       
9. Bangladesh     61  -1          
10. Ireland        30  
    
11. Afghanistan    21  
12. Zimbabwe        8      
    

South Africa have a chance to fight back next week, while Afghanistan play a one-off match in Zimbabwe.

Cricket World Ratings 5th October 2025

There is a danger that test cricket beomces something that only a handful of countries can play competitively.  India's demolition of the West Indies in the first game of their current series could be seen as a good illustration of this point. It has had relatively little effect on my world ratings, which effectively predicted this result and which now look like this:

1. Australia     289  
2. South Africa  229  
3. India         200  +4 
4. New Zealand   153   
5. England       143 
6. Sri Lanka      42   
7. Pakistan       12  
8. West Indies   -45  -5    
   
9. Bangladesh   -109     
   
10. Ireland      -275   
    
11. Afghanistan  -306        
    
12. Zimbabwe     -333    
    

West Indies will have another chance to try and upset the form book next week.

Cricket World Ratings 19th August 2025

New Zealand have recently completed a 2-0 series win in Zimbabwe, winning both their games by huge margins.  My world ratings now look like this:

1. Australia     289  
2. South Africa  229  
3. India         196 
4. New Zealand   153  +2 
5. England       143 
6. Sri Lanka      42   
7. Pakistan       12  
8. West Indies   -40    
   
9. Bangladesh   -109     
   
10. Ireland      -275   
    
11. Afghanistan  -306        
    
12. Zimbabwe     -333  -3   
    

The official ratings now look like this:

1. Australia     124  
2. South Africa  115   
3. England       112    
   
4. India         107   
5. New Zealand    96  +1      
6. Sri Lanka      88    
7. Pakistan       78    
8. West Indies    72       
9. Bangladesh     62          
10. Ireland        30  
    
11. Afghanistan    21  
12. Zimbabwe        8  -2     
    

And that's now it for a month and a half.  Test cricker resumes in early October when the West Indies travel to India for a two match series.

Cricket World Ratings 4th August 2025

Since my last report, New Zealand has won the first of two games they are scheduled to play in Zimbabwe. Also, a pulsating series between England and India has ended after five games in a 2-2 draw after India won the final match by just six runs.  The overall draw feels like a fair reflection on the series, and also, a minor win for India, playing away from home. In my world rankings, the net effect is to swap see India rise to third and England plummet to just fifth:

1. Australia     289  
2. South Africa  229  +3
3. India         196 +33
4. New Zealand   151  +3 
5. England       143 -33
6. Sri Lanka      42   
7. Pakistan       12  
8. West Indies   -40    
   
9. Bangladesh   -109     
   
10. Ireland      -275   
    
11. Afghanistan  -306        
    
12. Zimbabwe     -330  -2   
    

The official rankings (incorporating only the series in England, as the other one is incomplete, have undergone a less dramatic change):

1. Australia     124  
2. South Africa  115   
3. England       112  -1  
   
4. India         107  +2  
5. New Zealand    95      
6. Sri Lanka      88    
7. Pakistan       78    
8. West Indies    72       
9. Bangladesh     62          
10. Ireland        30  
    
11. Afghanistan    21  
12. Zimbabwe       10     
    

The second game in Zimbabwe starts later this week.

Cricket World Ratings 27th July 2025

India could still draw their five match series in England: they trail 2-1, but have just recovered from a poor start (losing two wickets in thefirst over of their second innings and still facing a 300 run deficit) to draw the fourth test. The effect (of drawing an away game, against slightly higher-rated opponents), is to move the two teams to almost exact equality in my rankings:

1. Australia     289 
2. South Africa  229 
3. England       170  -6 
4. India         169  +6 
5. New Zealand   148 
6. Sri Lanka      42   
7. Pakistan       12  
8. West Indies   -40 
9. Bangladesh   -109     
   
10. Ireland      -275   
    
11. Afghanistan  -306        
    
12. Zimbabwe     -328     
    

The decider starts next week. New Zealand will also be in action, playing the first of two games in Zimbabwe.

Cricket World Ratings 15th July 2025

A lot has happened in the last month of test cricket. England have won two and lost one of the first three games in their five match series at home to India; Sri Lanka have won at home to Bangladesh; Australia have won three out of three in the West Indies; and South Africa have one twice in Zimabawe.  My world ratings now look as follows:

1. Australia     289 +23 
2. South Africa  229  +3
3. England       176  +5
4. India         163  -4
5. New Zealand   148 
6. Sri Lanka      42   
7. Pakistan       12  
8. West Indies   -40 -22   
   
9. Bangladesh   -109  -9   
   
10. Ireland      -275   
    
11. Afghanistan  -306        
    
12. Zimbabwe     -328  -4   
    

The series in Sri Lanka, the West Indies, and Zimbabwe, having all completed, have fed into the official rankings as well:

1. Australia     124  +1 
2. South Africa  115  +1  
3. England       113     
   
4. India         105  
5. New Zealand    95      
6. Sri Lanka      88  +1   
7. Pakistan       78    
8. West Indies    72  -1     
9. Bangladesh     62          
10. Ireland        30  
    
11. Afghanistan    21  
12. Zimbabwe       10  -2   
    

The fourth England v India match starts next week.

 

Cricket World Ratings 15th June 2025

The idea of the World Test Championship is every two years to stage a one-off game between the two best teams in the world, on the basis of the results in the intervening period.  The method used to identify those teams is, somewhat strangely, not the record used in the official test team rankings.  However, the teams selected for this year's match were the world's official top two, and also the top two teams in my rankings.  All these criteria put Australia a long way ahead of South Africa, but in fact the underdogs managed to come from behind to win the game. The effect on my ratings is as follows:

1. Australia     266 -29 
2. South Africa  226 +29
3. England       171
4. India         167
5. New Zealand   148 
6. Sri Lanka      49 
7. Pakistan       12  
8. West Indies   -18  
   
9. Bangladesh   -115    
   
10. Ireland      -275   
    
11. Afghanistan  -306        
    
12. Zimbabwe     -324   
    

And the official rating (which unlike mine, can change with time even for teams that play no matches), now look like this:

1. Australia     123  -4  
2. South Africa  114  +2  
3. England       113  +8   
   
4. India         105  -4
5. New Zealand    95  -2    
6. Sri Lanka      87  +1   
7. Pakistan       78  -4  
8. West Indies    73  -3     
9. Bangladesh     62  +1        
10. Ireland        30  
    
11. Afghanistan    21  +2 
12. Zimbabwe       12   
    

So in spite of the result, both systems still assert that Australia are the top team. In fact, both systems now present an identical pecking order, albeit with differing margins. Shortly, Bangladesh will visit Sri Lanka, and India will begin a tour of England.