Pakistan rise to sixth in ICC Test rankings after annual update

DUBAI: Pakistan have moved up to sixth place in the ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings after the International Cricket Council’s latest annual update, which recalculated team standings based on revised weightings of past results.

The ICC said on Friday that Pakistan climbed one spot from seventh after adding seven rating points. The team now has 89 points and has gone ahead of Sri Lanka, which is placed seventh on 86 points.

Australia stayed at the top of the rankings and extended their advantage after gaining three points to reach a total of 131. South Africa, the reigning World Test Champions, remained in second place with 119 points, also after a three-point increase.

India moved up one place to third with 104 points, overtaking England, which dropped to fourth on 102. New Zealand are in fifth position.

How the update affected the standings

According to the ICC update, England’s decline followed the removal of results played before 30 April 2023 from the weighted calculation. Those results included home series victories over New Zealand and South Africa, as well as a 3-0 away series win in Pakistan.

Pakistan also benefited from the revised calculation. The change came after England’s 3-0 series win over Pakistan moved outside the full-weightage period. The update also reflected the halving of Pakistan’s 2-0 series defeat against Bangladesh in 2024.

West Indies are eighth in the latest standings, while Bangladesh are ninth and Ireland occupy 10th place.

Upcoming Test assignments

Pakistan’s next assignment in the format will be a two-match Test series in Bangladesh. The Shan Masood-led side is set to travel for the series, which forms part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025–27 cycle.

The opening Test is scheduled to be played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka from 8 to 12 May. The second match will take place at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium from 16 to 20 May.

Later in the year, Pakistan are also due to play Test series against England, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.

The annual update has reshaped several positions in the Test rankings, with Pakistan among the teams to gain from the revised formula. The latest standings place Australia first, followed by South Africa, India, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Bangladesh and Ireland.