The International Cricket Council (ICC) released its annual team rankings update on Monday, May 5, showcasing the continued supremacy of India and Australia, though the former plummeted in the Test format.
On the other hand, Sri Lanka emerged as a standout performer with significant gains.
Australia held firm as the ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings leader, securing the top position with 126 points. Under Pat Cummins’ captaincy, the World Test Championship holders maintained a 13-point edge over second-placed England, a slight dip from last year’s 15-point lead. Their recent series win over India Down Under solidified their red-ball dominance.
England, under Ben Stokes, were the biggest movers, leaping to second with 113 points. Winning three of four Test series over the past year, including dominant home performances, saw them overtake South Africa (111 points), who slipped to third despite reaching the World Test Championship final.
India, however, dropped from third to fourth with 105 points. This slide comes after their poor Test performance lately. Team India was whitewashed by New Zealand in a Test series at their home. They also lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia 1-3.
There was no change in the rest of the Test rankings, with New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe making up the rest of the top 10 table.
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India Maintain White-Ball Supremacy
India solidified their position as the undisputed kings of white-ball cricket, retaining the numero uno spot in both ODIs and T20Is. Their recent triumph in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 propelled them to a commanding lead in the ICC ODI rankings, with their rating improving from 122 to 124 points.
In ODIs, Australia slipped to third place, overtaken by New Zealand, who climbed to second following their runner-up finish in the Champions Trophy 2025.
Sri Lanka emerged as the dark horse of the rankings update, making significant strides across formats. In ODIs, they climbed to fourth place, going past Pakistan and South Africa.
Afghanistan’s rise to seventh in ODIs highlighted their growing stature, while England’s struggles saw them plunge to eighth, a stark contrast to their white-ball dominance in previous years.
The West Indies jumped to ninth position over Bangladesh in the ODI rankings.
In T20Is, India, the T20 World Cup 2024 champions, maintained their top ranking, though their lead over second-placed Australia narrowed from 10 to 9 points.
England, New Zealand, the West Indies, and South Africa follow the top two T20I sides in the same order.
Sri Lanka’s rise continued in the T20Is as they moved ahead of Pakistan to the seventh spot. Bangladesh and Afghanistan are ninth and tenth, respectively, in the ICC T20I rankings.
Notably, in a historic milestone, the annual update now includes 100 teams in the global T20I rankings. The expanded rankings feature all sides that have played at least eight T20Is over the past three years.
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