South Africa stretches lead over Australia following annual Test update

These calculations have resulted in South Africa’s previous lead of six points to increase by a further 16 points owing to Hashim Amla’s side gaining six points and Australia dropping 10 points.

The annual update has seen a reshuffle in the middle of the pack and now just three rankings points separate third-ranked New Zealand from seventh-ranked Sri Lanka. Prior to the annual update, the gap between the third and seventh ranked sides was seven points.

Fifth-ranked England and sixth-ranked Pakistan have slipped on the ladder after dropping five points apiece. This is due to England’s 4-0 win over India and Pakistan’s 3-0 clean sweep over England among other results in 2011-12 being dropped from the rankings calculations.

India has benefitted from the annual update as heavy defeats against England and Australia in 2011-12 no longer count. As such, India has gained four points and two places in the latest Test table.

Eighth-ranked West Indies has gained five ratings points to reduce the gap with seventh-ranked Sri Lanka from 17 points to 12 points. Bangladesh has collected six points and Zimbabwe has dropped 13 points as the difference between the two bottom-ranked sides have increased to 34 points.

As fifth-ranked England will take on New Zealand in a two-Test series on 21 May and sixth-ranked Pakistan travels to Sri Lanka next month for a three-Test series, the series outcomes may well result in significant movements on the Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings.

Some of the key series results from 2011-12, which are no longer in calculations, include: England v India (Eng won 4-0), Australia v Sri Lanka (Aus won 1-0), Pakistan v Sri Lanka (Pak won 1-0), South Africa v Australia (1-all draw), India v West Indies (Ind won 2-0), Australia v New Zealand (1-all draw), Australia v India (Aus won 4-0), Pakistan v England (Pak won 3-0), Sri Lanka v England (1-all draw), West Indies v Australia (Aus won 2-0) and England v West Indies (Eng won 2-0).

Some of the key series results from 2013-14, which are now weighted at 50 per cent, include: England v New Zealand (Eng won 2-0), England v Australia (Eng won 3-0), Pakistan v South Africa (1-all), New Zealand v West Indies (NZ won 2-0), India v West Indies (Ind won 2-0), South Africa v India (SA won 1-0), Australia v England (Aus won 5-0) and South Africa v Australia (Aus won 2-1).

The Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings predictor function is available here. The Test rankings table, unlike the ODI & T20I tables, is updated after the series.

RELIANCE ICC TEST RANKINGS (following annual update)

Rank*              Team               Points*

1 (-)                  South Africa     130 (+6)

2 (-)                  Australia           108 (-10)

3 (+2)               New Zealand    99 (0)

4 (+3)               India                 99 (+4)

5 (-1)                England            97 (-5)

6 (-3)                Pakistan            97 (-5)

7 (-1)                Sri Lanka          96 (0)

8 (-)                  West Indies      84 (+5)

9 (-)                  Bangladesh       39 (+6)

10 (-)                Zimbabwe        5 (-13)

* Figures in brackets denote changes in rankings and points post annual update

(Developed by David Kendix)