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India have retained their top spot in men’s ODIs and T20Is rankings after the annual update released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday. In the Test rankings, India are in second place as Australia have taken the pole position.
India, who ceded top position to them, are just four points behind and 15 points clear of third-placed England. South Africa are the fourth team above the 100-point mark with 103 points. India slipped mainly because their 2-1 series win in Australia in 2020-21 has dropped from the rankings.
The order of teams ranked from third to ninth remains the same. Only nine teams are now ranked as Afghanistan and Ireland have yet to play sufficient Tests while Zimbabwe too are out as they have played only three Tests over the past three years. Teams need to play a minimum of eight Tests over a three-year period to get on the rankings table.
There are no changes in the top 10 but Ireland have overtaken Zimbabwe to 11th position. Third-placed South Africa have closed the gap with Australia from eight to four points while Sri Lanka are just two points behind fifth-placed England.
New Zealand also have 250 points like South Africa but behind on fractions while the West Indies are at 249 points, which means that just three points separate third-placed England from sixth-placed West Indies.
In all, 86 countries have played at least eight T20Is in the past three years and so earned a ranking. Six countries are no longer ranked: Greece, Mexico, Myanmar and Turkey have played seven T20Is and so will be ranked after their next match, while Belize and Cook Island have played six T20Is, so will be ranked after playing two more matches.
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