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ICC Men's Test Team Rankings

Test cricket ranking system

Field	Value
name	ICC Men's Test Team Rankings
administrator	International Cricket Council
creation	2003
(as ICC Test Championship)
total_teams	12
current	(123 rating)
cumulative	(121 months)
continuous	(74 months)
highest	(143 rating)
updated	8 July 2025

(as ICC Test Championship)

The ICC Men's Test Team Rankings (formerly known as the ICC Test Championship) is an international rankings system of the International Cricket Council for the 12 teams that play Test cricket. The rankings are based on international matches that are otherwise played as part of regular Test cricket scheduling, with no consideration of home or away status.

After every Test series, the two teams involved receive points based on a mathematical formula involving both teams' previous rating and the result of the series. Each team's points total from matches over the last 3–4 years is divided by a figure based on their total number of matches and series played, to give a "rating".

A drawn match between higher and lower rated teams will benefit the lower-rated team at the expense of the higher-rated team. An "average" team that wins as often as it loses, while playing a mix of stronger and weaker teams, will have a rating of 100.

The top ranked Test team was previously awarded the ICC Test Championship mace, until the inauguration of ICC World Test Championship. From 2003 to 2019, the mace was transferred whenever a new team moved to the top of the rating list. The team that was top of the ratings table on 1 April each year also won a cash prize.

Current rankings

Historical rankings

The ICC provides ratings for the end of each month back to June 2003. Until the inauguration of the ICC World Test Championship in 2019, the team leading the ratings at any point were also awarded the Test Championship Mace. A cash prize was given to the team leading the Championship at the start of each April.

The teams that have successively held the highest rating since that date, by whole month periods are:

Team	Start	End	Total months	Cumulative months	Highest rating
	June 2003	August 2009	74	74	143
	August 2009	November 2009	3	3	122
	November 2009	August 2011	21	21	125
	August 2011	August 2012	12	12	125
	August 2012	May 2014	21	24	135
	May 2014	July 2014	3	77	123
	July 2014	January 2016	18	42	130
	January 2016	February 2016	1	22	110
	February 2016	August 2016	6	83	118
	August 2016	August 2016	1	23	112
	August 2016	October 2016	2	2	111
	October 2016	May 2020	43	66	130
	May 2020	January 2021	8	91	116
	January 2021	March 2021	2	2	118
	March 2021	June 2021	3	69	122
	June 2021	December 2021	6	8	126
	December 2021	January 2022	1	70	124
	January 2022	May 2023	16	107	128
	May 2023	January 2024	8	78	121
	January 2024	March 2024	2	109	117
	April 2024	April 2024	1	79	121
****	May 2024	Incumbent	21	127
Reference: ICC Rankings. Text in italics indicates that the lead is ongoing.

The summary of teams that have held the highest rating from June 2003 to the present by whole month periods are:

Team	Total Months	Highest Rating
	130	143
	78	130
	42	135
	12	125
	8	126
	2	111
Reference: ICC Historical Rankings

Since the ICC officially began ranking teams in 2003, Australia had dominated the rankings table. However, from 2009, several teams (Australia, South Africa, India, England, New Zealand, and Pakistan) have competed for the top positions.

The ICC retrospectively applied the current rating system to results since 1952 (providing ratings for the end of each month from then). The table only begins then, as prior to 1952 there is insufficient data available due to the infrequency of matches and the small number of competing teams in these earlier periods.

The teams that have successively held the highest rating from January 1952 until May 2003, by whole month periods are:

Team	Start	End	Total months	Cumulative months
	January 1952	May 1955	41	41
	June 1955	February 1958	33	33
	March 1958	July 1958	5	46
	August 1958	December 1958	5	38
	January 1959	December 1963	60	106
	January 1964	December 1968	60	60
	January 1969	December 1969	12	12
	January 1970	January 1973	37	75
	February 1973	March 1973	2	108
	April 1973	June 1974	15	15
	July 1974	January 1978	43	151
	February 1978	January 1979	12	72
	February 1979	August 1980	19	94
	September 1980	February 1981	6	21
	March 1981	July 1988	89	161
	August 1988	September 1988	2	2
	October 1988	January 1991	28	189
	February 1991	April 1991	3	154
	May 1991	July 1992	15	204
	August 1992	January 1993	6	160
	February 1993	August 1995	31	235
	September 1995	November 1995	3	24
	December 1995	July 1999	44	204
	August 1999	December 1999	5	17
	January 2000	February 2000	2	206
	March 2000	March 2000	1	18
	April 2000	July 2001	16	222
	August 2001	August 2001	1	19
	September 2001	May 2003	21	243
Reference: ICC Historical Rankings

The summary of teams that have held the highest rating from 1952 to the present by whole month periods are:

Team	Total months	Highest rating
	358	143
	235	135
	106	125
	102	130
	61	135
	8	126
	4	111
Reference: ICC Historical Rankings

Test Mace

Main article: ICC Test Championship Mace

ICC Test Championship (2003–2019)

Teams winning the annual prize for topping the ratings table on 1 April each year.

Year	Team	Captain
2003	(7)	Adam Gilchrist
2004	Ricky Ponting
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010	(2)	MS Dhoni
2011
2012		Alastair Cook
2013	(3)	Graeme Smith
2014
2015	Hashim Amla
2016	(8)	Steve Smith
2017	(5)	Virat Kohli
2018
2019

ICC World Test Championship (2019–present)

Main article: ICC World Test Championship

The Mace is now awarded to the winners of the World Test Championship.

Calculations

Qualifying matches

Matches that qualify are those played as part of a series consisting of at least two Tests.

Time period

Find the points earned from a series

Each time two teams complete another series, the rankings tables is updated as described below, based on the ratings of the teams immediately before they played.

Step 1. Find the series points for each team

Award 1 point to a team for each match won.
Award point to a team for each match drawn or tied.
Award 1 bonus point to the team winning the series.
Award bonus point to each team if the series is drawn.

Step 2. Convert these series points to actual ratings points

If the gap between the ratings of the two teams before the series was less than 40 points

The ratings points for each team equals:

(The team's own series points) x (The opponent's rating + 50) + (The opponent's series points) x (The opponent's rating − 50)

As each match won earns a team 1 series point and their opponent 0, losing earns them 0 series points and their opponent 1, and drawing earns both teams series point, each match played therefore earns teams ratings points as follows:

Single match result	Ratings points earned
Win	Opponent's rating + 50
Draw or tie	Opponent's rating
Lose	Opponent's rating − 50

As this formula only applies when the gap between the ratings of the two teams at the start of the series was less than 40 points, winning a match will always earn a team more rating points than the rating they already had, and losing a match will always earn a team fewer rating points than the rating they already had. Drawing a match will earn the weaker team more rating points than the rating they already had, and the stronger team fewer.

The difference between winning and losing a single match is therefore 100 points. Also, whether the outcome of a match is a win & lose or a draw, the total rating points earned by the two teams from that match will be the sum of the two teams' ratings before the series began. The total rating points earned from a series will therefore equal the sum of the two teams' ratings before the series began multiplied by (the number of matches + 1).

If the gap between the ratings of the two teams before the series was at least 40 points

The ratings points for the stronger team equals:

(The team's own series points) x (The team's own rating + 10) + (The opponent's series points) x (The team's own rating − 90)

and the ratings points for the weaker team equals:

(The team's own series points) x (The team's own rating + 90) + (The opponent's series points) x (The team's own rating − 10).

As above, each match played therefore earns teams ratings points as follows:

Single match result	Ratings points earned
Stronger team wins	Own rating + 10
Weaker team loses	Own rating − 10
Stronger team draws or ties	Own rating − 40
Weaker team draws or ties	Own rating + 40
Stronger team loses	Own rating − 90
Weaker team wins	Own rating + 90

Therefore, again, winning a match will always earn a team more rating points than the rating they already had, and losing a match will always earn a team fewer rating points than the rating they already had. Drawing a match will earn the weaker team more points than the rating they already had, and the stronger team fewer.

For both teams, the difference between winning and losing a single match is still 100 points. Also, whichever of the three outcomes happens, the total rating points earned by the two teams from that match will be the sum of the two teams' ratings before the series began.

Update the ranking table

For each team:

Add the ratings points scored to their total ratings points already scored (in previous matches).
Update the number of matches played by adding the number of Series points available. This is one more than the number of games in the series, as there is an additional point available for the series winner (a two Test match series will result in the match count getting incremented by three).
Divide the new rating points total by the updated number of matches to get the updated Rating.

Example

Suppose two teams, initially with ratings of 120 and 90, play a 3-match series, and the team with the higher initial rating wins 2–1:

Team	Ratings before the series	The series	Ratings after the series
Matches	Points	Rating	Matches won
A	30	3600	120
B	36	3240	90

The total Ratings points available from the series (460+380=840) is the same as the initial ratings of the teams multiplied by the number of Series points available ((120+90)x4=840).
The two teams' total ratings is almost exactly the same after the series (119.4+90.5=209.9) as before the series (120+90=210). The series has therefore not generated any extra ratings, but has just redistributed the ratings the two teams already had. When these ratings are published in the official table in their rounded form (119 and 91), the total ratings after the series will be exactly the same as before the series. There is therefore no points 'inflation' in this system, which means that comparisons of ratings over time are meaningful.
Despite winning the series, Team A's rating has reduced, and despite losing the series, Team B's rating has increased. If Team A had won the series 3–0 then its rating would have increased to 122.4.

References

[https://web.archive.org/web/20111005160909/http://cricketnext.in.com/news/england-presented-with-test-mace/59674-13.html cricketnext – England presented with Test mace]. Retrieved 22 August 2011
"Outcomes from the ICC Board and Committee meetings". ICC.
"Waugh receives ICC Test trophy". [[ESPNcricinfo]].
(21 September 2016). "David Richardson presents ICC Test Championship mace to Misbah-ul-Haq". [[International Cricket Council]].
"Historical rankings". [[International Cricket Council]].
"A retrospective: How the mace has changed hands".
Wilson, Andy. (August 14, 2011). "Andrew Strauss to receive ICC mace for England's world ranking success". [[The Guardian]].
"Smith presented with Test mace".
(April 1, 2019). "India retain Test Championship Mace for third year in a row".
"Details of WTC prize money announced". [[International Cricket Council]].
(12 May 2015). "Understanding the ICC rankings system". [[ESPNcricinfo]].
"World Championship for Test Cricket".
"FAQs on ICC Test Team Rankings". Qn2, ICC.

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