Sri Lanka Surpasses Pakistan and South Africa in ICC ODI Rankings

DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has updated its annual team rankings, revealing notable changes across all formats. Pakistan has experienced a decline in the standings, while Sri Lanka has emerged as a significant beneficiary.

Test Rankings

In the ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings, Australia, the current World Test Championship titleholders, continue to hold the top position with a rating of 126.

Their advantage has slightly diminished from 15 to 13 points following the yearly update, which gives full weight (100%) to matches played since May 2024 and 50% weight to matches from the preceding two years.

England, under Ben Stokes, has risen to second place after a successful year in Test cricket, securing victories in three of their four series. Their rating is now 113, which has pushed South Africa (111) and India (105) to third and fourth, respectively.

The remainder of the top 10 remains consistent, with New Zealand in fifth, followed by Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe.

Currently, only 10 teams are ranked in Tests. Ireland needs to participate in one more Test within the next year to qualify, while Afghanistan requires three additional matches to be included in the rankings.

ODI Rankings

In ODI cricket, India has further strengthened its lead after its victorious campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Their rating has increased from 122 to 124.

New Zealand, the Champions Trophy runners-up, has moved up to second place, surpassing Australia, who now hold the third position.

Sri Lanka has made significant progress, climbing to fourth place after recent ODI series victories against both India and Australia.

Their five-point increase has allowed them to overtake Pakistan (fifth, +1 point) and South Africa (sixth, -4 points). Afghanistan has also risen to seventh place with a four-point increase, causing England to drop to eighth.

The West Indies have climbed to ninth after gaining five points, while Bangladesh has fallen to tenth after losing four points.

The USA Men’s team recorded the largest rating increase (+6 points) but remains in 15th place. Oman has moved ahead of Canada to take 16th. Other teams have maintained their positions.

T20I Rankings

In T20 Internationals, India, the current ICC Men’s T20 World Cup champions, remains at the top.

However, their lead over second-placed Australia has decreased from 10 to nine points. England, the 2022 champions, are in third, followed by New Zealand, West Indies, and South Africa.

Sri Lanka’s positive trend continues as they have climbed to seventh, surpassing Pakistan, who have dropped to eighth. Bangladesh and Afghanistan complete the top 10. Ireland has improved to 11th, switching positions with Zimbabwe.

Canada has achieved the largest rating gain (+9 points), entering the top 20. Among lower-ranked nations, the Bahamas and Estonia have made the most significant positional gains, climbing eight and seven places to 51st and 61st, respectively.