Pakistan fall in ICC rankings across formats after annual update

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has released its annual team rankings update, revealing key changes across all three formats of the game. Pakistan have dropped in the rankings, while Sri Lanka have shown major improvement.

In the ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings, Australia remain at the top as the reigning World Test Championship winners. Their rating stands at 126, although their lead has slightly reduced from 15 to 13 points after the latest update. This update gives full weight to matches played since May 2024, while matches from the previous two years count at 50%.

England, led by Ben Stokes, have moved up to second place after a strong year in Test cricket, winning three out of four series. They now have a rating of 113, pushing South Africa (111) and India (105) down to third and fourth place, respectively. The rest of the top 10 remains the same, with New Zealand at fifth, followed by Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe.

Only 10 teams are officially ranked in Test cricket. Ireland needs to play one more Test in the next year to qualify, while Afghanistan must play three more to be included.

In ODIs, India have strengthened their position at the top after winning the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, with their rating rising from 122 to 124. New Zealand, the runners-up, have climbed to second, ahead of Australia, who are now third.

Sri Lanka made one of the biggest gains in ODI rankings, jumping to fourth place after recent series wins over India and Australia. Pakistan now sit in fifth, followed by South Africa in sixth. Afghanistan moved up to seventh, while England dropped to eighth. West Indies rose to ninth, and Bangladesh slipped to tenth.

The USA men’s team had the biggest rating improvement in ODIs with a six-point gain, but they remain in 15th place. Oman overtook Canada to reach 16th, while other teams mostly kept their positions.

In T20 Internationals, India, the reigning T20 World Cup champions, hold on to the top spot. However, their lead over second-placed Australia has reduced to just nine points. England are in third place, followed by New Zealand, West Indies, and South Africa.

Sri Lanka continued their rise, moving up to seventh, pushing Pakistan down to eighth. Bangladesh and Afghanistan complete the top 10. Ireland improved to 11th, swapping spots with Zimbabwe.

Among teams outside the top 10 in T20s, Canada made the biggest rating gain with nine points, breaking into the top 20. Among the lower-ranked nations, Bahamas and Estonia had the biggest jumps, moving up eight and seven places to 51st and 61st, respectively.