… England will go top of the Reliance ICC Test Championship table if they beat Dhoni’s men by two Tests or more
ENGLAND will go to number one in the Reliance ICC Test Championship if they beat India by at least two Tests in the upcoming four-match series.
Although currently in third position on the table, Andrew Strauss’s team will leap above South Africa and India to take pole position if they finish the series 3-1 or 2-0 to the good or better. This will add extra masala to a series that is already highly anticipated. The first Test, which starts at Lord’s on July 21, will be the 2 000th in the history of the game and the 100th between England and India.
With a full house and a huge global television viewership expected, the enduring qualities of the pinnacle format of cricket will be highlighted, more than 134 years since the first Test was staged.
According to the latest table, following the annual update, England will lead the table by three ratings points if they win the series by two clear matches. In that scenario, India would hold on to second position with South Africa slipping to third. If the home team were to sweep the series 4-0, India would drop to third place.
A 1-0 or 2-1 series win for England will put their rating level with India’s but India will still be top by a fraction of a point. A drawn series (0-0, 1-1 or 2-2) will ensure India stay six points clear at the top but with England edging ahead of South Africa into second position.
An India series win will see them stretch their lead at the top of the table, leaving England lying in third place.
The update, whereby older results are dropped or have their weightings reduced, has led to no changes in the rankings but India’s lead over South Africa is trimmed from nine points to seven points. SA are not scheduled to play Test cricket until November when they host Australia.
The most dramatic change coming from the update is Australia’s loss of seven ratings points (from 107 to 100). Although Michael Clarke’s men remain fifth, they are now eight points adrift of Sri Lanka in fourth place.
The reason for this significant drop is the exclusion of a number of fine results Australia enjoyed in the season 2007-08, when they won all three of their series (against Sri Lanka, India and the West Indies).
ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said: “As we all prepare to celebrate the staging of the 2 000th Test match, one cannot imagine it to be any better than between two of the top teams in a series that carries with it the battle for top spot in the rankings.
That is great context and we will enhance that with the ICC World Test Championship in future.
“Test cricket is the pinnacle form of the game and we will continue to protect and promote it above all. It is our link to the game’s origins, it is what defines greatness and it is recognised by the players as being the benchmark by which they wish to be graded and remembered.
History has proved that no other form of the game can create memorable and meaningful moments like Test cricket can.”
Reliance ICC Test Championship (as of July 14, after the annual update and before the England v India series)
Rank   Team                      Rating (+/-)
1.          India                          125 (-1)
2.          South Africa              118 (+1)
3.          England                     117 (+1)
4.          Sri Lanka                   108 (+1)
5.          Australia                    100 (-7)
6.          Pakistan                       93 (+3)
7.          West Indies                  89 (+1)
8.          New Zealand                78 ( – )
9.          Bangladesh                 13 (+6)
(Developed by David Kendix)