London: England leapfrogged India to claim the top spot in the latest ICC ODI Team Rankings following the annual update, on Wednesday (May 2). England gained eight points and now have 125 points to their name. On the other hand, India lost one point and are placed second with 122 points.
England’s rise to the top of the rankings is mainly based on the fact that the 2014-15 season hasn’t been considered in the latest calculations, while the results from the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons are given a weightage of 50 percent. England won just seven out of their 25 ODIs versus Full Members in the 2014-15 season.
However, since their dismal show in the 2015 World Cup, they have been on an upward curve, evidenced by the fact that they have won 11 out of the 14 bilateral ODI series they have participated in during that period and reached the semifinals of the Champions Trophy held in England last year. The European nation last scaled the summit of ODI rankings in 2013.
Meanwhile, South Africa lost four points following the annual update and now have 113 points to their name. New Zealand slot in at the fourth position with 112 points, while Australia lost eight points to take the fifth position with 104 points. Pakistan, who won the Champions Trophy last year, slot in at the sixth place with 102 points.
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. Zimbabwe (55) gained four points and are placed 11th with Ireland taking the 12th spot.
In the T20I rankings, Pakistan (130) and Australia (126) continue to be ranked as the two best sides. Meanwhile, India earned two points and are placed 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, with the former taking the sixth slot based on decimal points.
