2021 ICC Rankings Annual Update - New Zealand and West Indies to expect historic gains

 April 21, 2021

Its that time of the year when ICC Team Ratings go through changes overnight, often resulting in changes in ICC Team Rankings. Its time for ICC Team Rankings Annual Update. On May 1 every year, points earned earlier than 36 months are dropped from ICC Team Ranking calculations. The weightage of points earned earlier than May of last year is also halved. These mathematical adjustments often leads to changes in team ratings that may effect the changes in team rankings as well.

In ICC Test Team Rankings, West Indies are expected to break into Top-6 Teams for the first time since the inception of official ICC Test Ranking in 2002. West Indies are currently ranked 8^th with 81 Rating Points. The Annual Update is expected to take them to 84.41 points, surpassing 79.59 points of South Africa and 76.85 points of Sri Lanka. Both South Africa and Sri Lanka will drop one rank in the table. England and Australia are also expected to swap places at 3^rd and 4^th spot. England (currently ranked 4^th with 106 points) are expected to gain 3.14 points that will be sufficient for them to rise above Australia (expected to lose 4.89 points). Australia are currently ranked 3^rd with 113 points.

 

The rating points of all other teams will also be updated but not resulting in any other change in ICC Test Teams Rankings. New Zealand, Pakistan and Zimbabwe are also expected gain a couple of points. India are expected to hold on to their top rank even after losing about a point. 

Bangladesh is expected to lose 4.86 rating points but the biggest loser of this year’s ICC Test Rankings Annual Update is expected to be South Africa with the loss of 9.41 points. It will also be the first time since August 1963 where South Africa will not be part of Top-6 Test sides (excluding their isolation era).

 

 

 

Meanwhile, interesting shake up, right at the top of the table, is expected in ICC ODI Rankings. England – the current #1 ODI Team – is expected to lose 6.12 points to slip from 121 points to 114.88 points. India (currently ranked 2^nd) are also expected to lose 3.69 points, sliding from 119 to 115.31 points. Meanwhile, Australia are expected to gain 6.55 points raising their rating points tally from 111 to 117.55 – higher than both India and England – and their ICC ODI Ranking to 2^nd spot.

New Zealand are expected to become the highest ranked ODI team in the world for the first time ever. They have never been ranked 1^st in ICC ODI Rankings. New Zealand are currently ranked 3^rd with 118 points. They are expected to gain 2.79 points taking their tally to 120.79, sufficient to place them highest on ICC ODI Teams Rankings table.

 

Sri Lanka (currently ranked 8^th) and West Indies (currently ranked 9^th) are also expected to swap places in ICC ODI Rankings. The biggest loser in this year’s annual update is expected to be Pakistan with a loss of 5.05 points. The ICC ODI Team Rankings of other ICC Full Member teams are expected to remain the same.

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