ICC Rankings
DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has released its latest annual team rankings, and the results bring a mixed bag for global cricket fans—particularly disappointing for Pakistan, which has seen a decline across all three formats: Tests, One Day Internationals (ODIs), and T20 Internationals (T20Is). Meanwhile, Sri Lanka emerges as one of the big gainers in the rankings update, showcasing significant progress.
In the Test format, Australia continues its reign at the top with an unchanged rating of 126. However, the Aussies did see a drop in ranking points from 15 to 13 following the annual update, which now fully weights matches played since May 2024 and halves the value of games played in the two preceding years.
England, under the leadership of Ben Stokes, has made an impressive leap to second place after winning three of their last four series. Their rating now stands at 113, pushing South Africa (111) and India (105) down to third and fourth places, respectively. New Zealand retains the fifth position, followed by Sri Lanka and then Pakistan, which has fallen further down the list.
The bottom three include West Indies, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe. Ireland and Afghanistan remain ineligible for Test ranking consideration due to insufficient matches played.
In ODIs, India has extended its dominance by securing the top spot with a rating increase from 122 to 124, following their title-winning campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. New Zealand, the tournament’s runners-up, have overtaken Australia to claim the second position, while Australia slips to third.
Sri Lanka has made a notable jump to fourth place after recent series victories over both India and Australia. This shift has seen Pakistan pushed down to fifth, even though they gained a point, while South Africa dropped to sixth after losing four points. Afghanistan has climbed to seventh, pushing England to eighth.
The West Indies now sit at ninth following a five-point improvement, and Bangladesh completes the top ten after a four-point loss. Notably, the USA registered the largest rating increase in ODIs (+6), though they remain in 15th position.
In T20 Internationals, India holds onto the top spot as the reigning T20 World Cup champions. However, their lead over second-ranked Australia has narrowed to just nine points. England remains in third, trailed by New Zealand, West Indies, and South Africa.
Sri Lanka’s surge continues as they move to seventh place, overtaking Pakistan, who fall to eighth in yet another setback. Bangladesh and Afghanistan round out the top ten. Further down the rankings, Ireland improved to 11th, swapping places with Zimbabwe.
Canada also made headlines by breaking into the top 20 after gaining nine points. Among the lower-ranked teams, the Bahamas and Estonia made the most dramatic climbs, rising eight and seven positions, respectively, to reach 51st and 61st.
Pakistan’s drop across all formats underscores the need for strategic reassessment, while Sri Lanka’s rise marks a promising new chapter. With fierce competition at every level, these updated rankings set the stage for a high-stakes season ahead in international cricket.
