India and England have retained their No1 status in the ICC Test and ODI rankings respectively after the annual update was made on Thursday.
The latest annual update from the ICC sees the results of the 2015-16 period completely removed while those from 2016-17 and 2018-19 will now carry a 50 per cent weightage in the calculations.
As such, India’s lead at the top of the Test rankings over second-placed New Zealand has now been cut down to just two rating points from the eight it was previously before the update was made.
In the only position change in the Test rankings, England have overtaken Australia to now occupy the fourth spot in the table. The two teams are set to meet in an Ashes series later in the summer once the 2019 ICC World Cup culminates in England.
India and England continue their reign atop the @MRFWorldwide ICC Men's Team Rankings in Tests and ODIs after the annual update!https://t.co/t7TEpvzIhR
— ICC (@ICC) May 2, 2019
England, meanwhile, remain the top dogs in the ODI rankings ahead of the 2019 World Cup on home soil. However, Eoin Morgan and his men now lead No2 ranked India by just two rating points following the latest update.
In order to maintain their No1 status at the start of the 2019 World Cup, England will need to first beat Ireland in the upcoming one-off ODI and then prevail over Pakistan in the five-match series by a margin of 3-2 or better.
In case England suffer a defeat to Ireland, they will need to then beat Pakistan by a margin of 4-1 or better to hold on their top ranking.
In the ODI rankings, South Africa have now leapfrogged New Zealand for the third spot while West Indies have moved ahead of Sri Lanka in seventh spot.
For the very latest news, analysis and opinion download the Sport360 app
