India, New Zealand retain top two spots on ICC Test rankings, England overtakes Australia

India and New Zealand remain the top two Test teams in the world after the annual rankings update carried out by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday. India, with 121 points under its name, retained the top spot on the Test rankings table, followed by New Zealand, which has 120 points. India's 2-1 series win over Australia and 3-1 over England earlier this year helped the Virat Kohli-lead team retain the top position on the points table. Similarly, New Zealand's 2-0 series victories over Pakistan and West Indies cemented their place at number two position. 

England overtakes Australia

Meanwhile, England moved a slot upwards to take the number three position from Australia, which has now slipped to the fourth spot. England gained three points in the latest update to take its aggregate to 109, while Australia lost five points and has an aggregate of 108.  The latest update eliminated results from the 2017-18 season, in which England had suffered a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Australia. The defeat was continuing to affect England's position on ICC Test rankings because the results from the series were reflecting on the points table prior to the update. 

West Indies cricket team has moved up on the ladder from eighth to sixth position after the Caribbean side's 2-0 series win against Bangladesh and a 0-0 draw against Sri Lanka. The West Indian team has achieved its best Test ranking position since 2013. West Indies gained three points to take the aggregate to 84. Pakistan also gained three points but remained constant in the fifth position after the latest update. 

Meanwhile, South Africa has lost a whopping nine points, most amongst the top 10 teams. The Proteas are currently sitting in the seventh position. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have lost five points each as they sit in eighth and ninth positions respectively. Zimbabwe has gained eight points but remains the bottom-ranked team despite the resumption of normal cricket in the country.

(Image Credit: ICC/Website)