Australia swap places with England in Test ratings

Dubai: Australia have moved into third place while England have dropped to fifth position in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings following the conclusion of the Ashes series in Sydney on Monday.

Australia had entered the series in fifth position on 97 points, while England were in third place on 105 points. However, following a 4-0 series win, Australia have climbed to third place on 104 points, while England have slipped to fifth on 99 points.

Australia are now trailing number-one ranked India (124 points) by 20 points, while they are seven points behind second-ranked South Africa (111 points).

The top two ranked sides are presently involved in their three-Test series, which concludes in Johannesburg on 28 January, following which the Test team rankings table will be updated.

Australia had finished the 2017 Sydney Test against Pakistan in second place on 109 points (11 points behind India), but had fallen behind India and South Africa in third place on 100 points following the annual 1 May update. They had finished fifth following a one-all series draw against Bangladesh in September.

In contrast, England had begun 2017 in fourth place on 101 points and retained fourth position despite dropping to 99 points following the 1 May annual update. However, England headed in the right direction following a successful home summer and finished in third place on 105 points.

Australia will now travel to South Africa where they play a four-Test series from 1 March to 3 April, while England’s next series is against New Zealand from 22 March to 3 April when they will play a two-Test series. In their home season, England will host Pakistan for a two-Test series and India for five Tests.

MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings (as on 8 January, following the conclusion of Australia v England series)

1. India 124
2. South Africa 111
3. Australia 104 (+7)
4. New Zealand 100
5. England 99 (-6)
6. Sri Lanka 94
7. Pakistan 88
8. Windies 72
9. Bangladesh 72
10. Zimbabwe 01