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Dubai: Australia have been knocked off their long-held perch as the No. 1 team in the world in the ICC Test rankings after losing the Ashes series 1-2 in England.
England won the final Test at the Oval by 197 runs on Sunday to regain the Ashes.
Ponting's side has now slipped to fourth position in the rankings with South Africa assuming top spot. There are now six ratings points separating the Proteas and Australia, with Sri Lanka, currently occupying second spot, ahead of India in third by just a fraction of a point.
Being beaten by fifth-placed England meant Australia lost eight rating points, leading to them losing the top spot for the first time since the current method of rankings was introduced in May 2003. The Test team rankings are only updated at the end of each series.
For their part, England stayed fifth but gained six ratings points and now sit just 11 behind Australia.
Kumar Sangakkara's Sri Lanka will have more than just a series win at stake when they take on New Zealand in the second and final cricket Test from Wednesday.
With Ashes losers Australia relegated from the number one spot for the first time since official Test rankings were introduced in 2003, the race has begun for second place, behind South Africa on a rating of 122.
Sri Lanka, who are now joint second with India on 119, will hold the position on their own if they defeat New Zealand in the second Test at the Sinhalese sports club and take the series 2-0.
A draw or a loss will give India the second spot, with Sri Lanka third and Ricky Ponting's Australians confined to fourth place on 116 after Sunday's 197-run defeat to England at the Oval.
Andrew Strauss's victorious England stay in fifth position on 105 despite their 2-1 win according to a system in which Test rankings are updated at the end of each series.
Ahead of their encounter against Sri Lanka, New Zealand were ranked seventh, on 82.
Sangakkara, whose team beat the illness-plagued Kiwis by a massive 202 runs in the first Test in Galle on Saturday, said rankings were important in that they reflected the consistency of a side.
Test Ratings
1. South Africa (122 points)
2. Sri Lanka (119)
3. India (119)
4. Australia (116)
5. England (105)
6. Pakistan (84)
7. New Zealand (82)
8. West Indies (76)
9. Bangladesh (13)
