England have risen to No.2 in the ICC men’s Test annual rankings, with performances in the last three years being taken into consideration.
Matches from May 2024 carry full points, while Tests played up to two years before that carry a 50 per cent weightage. This is done to reward current form and reduce the importance given to older games. The updated table, thus, takes into account the games played from May 2022, which is also when the ‘Bazball’ era began in England cricket. Current head coach of the Test side, Brendon McCullum, took over the role in June 2022, with his first series in charge coming against New Zealand.
In this period, England, led by Ben Stokes, have played 35 matches, winning 22 at a win/loss ratio of 1.833. It is the second-best among all 12 teams, only behind Australia, who also lead the ICC annual rankings, with 126 points.
England’s position at No.2 in the rankings might come as a bit of a surprise considering they are yet to make the World Test Championship final. While they finished fourth in 2021-23, they were fifth this time, managing to earn 43.18 percentage points.
How are ICC Test team rankings calculated?
However, there are several differences between how the WTC and the ICC rankings are calculated. The ICC Test rankings assign points based on the outcome of every Test and series played, while also factoring in the strength of the opposition. Apart from match wins, series wins are also awarded.
On the other hand, the WTC has a fixed number of points determined for each result, irrespective of the opposition’s ranking. Series results are also not taken into account in the calculations, while wins against higher-ranked teams also do not provide any extra benefit.
How England leapfrogged to No.2 in the ICC rankings
In the last three years, England have won series against South Africa, West Indies, Sri Lanka and New Zealand, while also winning away in Pakistan and New Zealand. They have also drawn series against Australia and New Zealand, while winning one-off Tests against India and Ireland.
In the rankings updated in May 2024, Australia and India were the top two teams, while India held the top spot in May 2023. Despite just four wins against the two teams since May 2022, it still gave England some invaluable points in the ICC rankings.
They were also helped by India's poor form, especially in the last year. India have won just one Test in their last eight outings, losing to the lower-ranked New Zealand 3-0 and the higher-ranked Australia 4-1. India also drew a game against the West Indies and lost one to South Africa, both lower-ranked sides, which meant they were not able to maximise the points they could have earned.
South Africa, the finalists of this year's WTC, had a relatively easy route in the tournament, winning series against Sri Lanka, West Indies, Pakistan, and Bangladesh; drawing against India; and losing against New Zealand. While it allowed them to earn points and qualify for the final, it meant they missed out on surging ahead in the ICC Test rankings, where they find themselves at No.3, two points behind England who played stronger teams.
England have also suffered from over-rate penalties in the WTC, which dock points, but have no impact on ICC rankings. They have been penalised 22 points in the current cycle, which has also signiicantly affected their ranking in the WTC.
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