ICC ranks India second and England third in Test cricket

Meanwhile, England lost one rank to occupy third position after India in the Test cricket rankings.

India’s innings against West Indies and its 126 runs win in the second and final Test has helped it gain three ratings points to end at 119 points. This puts India three ratings points ahead of England at 116.

India’s move up the rank sets up an interesting two-Test series between number-one ranked South Africa and India to be played next month in Johannesburg and Durban, according to BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India).

England faces fifth-ranked Australia in the five-Test series in Brisbane from 21 November.

West Indies has retained its pre-series sixth-rank but has dropped four ratings points to finish at 95. West Indies is now six ratings points behind fifth-ranked Australia and seven behind fourth-ranked Pakistan.

The Test Rankings table, unlike the ODI rankings table, is updated only after the conclusion of the series, BCCI said.

The inaugural ICC World Test Championship (ICC WTC) will be hosted by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2017. The qualification pathway for the Test Championship is through the ICC Test Team Rankings, with the qualifying period being from 1 May 2013 to 31 December 2016. The top four teams at the conclusion of the qualification period will qualify for the Test event in 2017. 

ICC Test Team Rankings table (as on 16 November)

1.      South Africa  - Rating – 131)
2.      Indian  - 119 (+3)
3.      England - 116
4.      Pakistan - 102
5.      Australia - 101
6.      West Indies – 95 (-4)
7.      Sri Lanka - 88
8.      New Zealand - 75
9.      Zimbabwe - 34
10.   Bangladesh