The repackaged English team which has been a force in the white-ball cricket has finally claimed the number one in the latest updated ICC ODI rankings. England has taken the number one slot from India after the official annual update of rankings point. They gained eight points and now sit on 125 points to their name. Whereas India lost one point and are now second with 122 points.
The ranking system considers the team records of the last three years. So England with a poor 2014-15 season could not take the top spot despite performing so well in the recent matches. With the updated rankings, the 2014-15 season hasn’t been considered for the calculations. The results from the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons are given a weightage of 50 percent each.
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However, since their forgetful performance in the 2015 World Cup, they have been revolutionary in the limited overs cricket. Since the coveted trophy, they have won 11 out of the 14 bilateral ODI series they have participated in. In the Champions Trophy held in England last year, the hosts were the obvious favorites. They were knocked out due to one bad performance against Pakistan. Last time England topped the ODI ranking, it was in 2013.
Observing the other teams, South Africa lost four points in the annual update and now have 113 points to their name. New Zealand poises themselves at the fourth position with 112 points, while Australia lost eight points to take the fifth position with 104 points. Pakistan, winners of the Champions Trophy 2017, find themselves at the sixth place with 102 points.
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Nearing the bottom of the table, Bangladesh gained three points and are placed seventh (93), while Sri Lanka (77) and Windies (69) slot in at the eighth and ninth positions respectively. Afghanistan (63) picked up five points as a result of the update and their improved recent performances. Zimbabwe (55) gained four points and are placed 11th while Ireland completes the table by occupying the 12th spot.
T20I rankings have also been updated but there are not many changes in the order. Pakistan (130) and Australia (126) continue to enjoy the privilege to be at the top. Meanwhile, India added two points to the tally and are third with 123 points. New Zealand (116) and England (115) take the next two slots in the rankings. Both South Africa (114) and the Windies (114) gained three points and are separated by only decimal points.
