Australia hold top spot after ICC Men’s Test Rankings annual update

The latest annual update to the ICC Men's Test Rankings has seen Australia retain the No. 1 spot, further extending their lead with a points tally of 131.

They are followed by reigning ICC World Test Championship winners South Africa, who also hold on to second place with 119 points. India have climbed to third, overtaking England, with a points tally of 104.

The annual rankings update applies full weightage (100 percent) to matches played since May 2025, while results from the previous two years are given half weightage (50 percent).

Australia have enjoyed a purple patch in red-ball cricket over the past year. After falling short in the ICC World Test Championship 2025–27 final against South Africa, Australia bounced back immediately on their tour of the West Indies, where they secured a dominant 3-0 series whitewash.

Their crowning achievement, however, came in the The Ashes, where they defeated England 4-1 to retain the urn.

South Africa, meanwhile, kickstarted their impressive run with a landmark victory over Australia in the ICC World Test Championship Final. The champions then toured Zimbabwe, securing a 2-0 series win.

The Proteas capped off their year with strong performances on the road, drawing 1-1 against Pakistan before registering a historic 2-0 whitewash over India.

India climbed to third spot following a strong run of results. They produced an impressive performance on their tour of England, drawing the series 2-2, and followed it up with a dominant 2-0 home series win against the West Indies.

However, they suffered a setback against South Africa, losing 0-2, marking their first home series defeat to the Proteas since 2000.

The rankings also saw England slip to fourth with 102 points, followed closely by New Zealand in fifth with 101. Pakistan moved up to sixth with 89 points, overtaking Sri Lanka, who dropped to seventh with 87.

West Indies (68 points) and Bangladesh (67 points) occupy eighth and ninth spots, respectively. Ireland, meanwhile, dropped out of the rankings, having not played the requisite eight matches in the rating period.

Both Ireland and Afghanistan need to play two Tests each in the next year to return to the standings.

- ICC