2022 ICC Ranking Update - No major changes in Team Rankings

 

Published on May 8, 2022 in BolNews Print Magazine

 

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the updated Team Rankings. As part of the annual update process, all points earned before 1 May 2019 are dropped and the weightage of points earned between 1 May 2020 and 30 April 2021 is halved.

 

The annual update, in the past, often resulted in significant changes, even the emergence of new number one ranked sides. This year’s annual update of ICC Team Rankings, however, is an exception in that context. The updates have yielded only rare changes in the ranking tables.

 

The primary reason here is the lack of cricket played during the coverage period, May 2019 onwards, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A lesser amount of action meant a lesser amount of points awarded, which meant a lesser impact on ranking tables.

 

Test and ODI Rankings remain almost the same, after the annual update. The only change is Pakistan rising from number six to the number five spot in both ICC Test and ODI Team Rankings.

 

There are changes in the Rating Points of the teams but not sufficient enough to incur changes in Team Rankings. There is no major shuffle in T20I Rankings except for New Zealand and Afghanistan sliding down a couple of spots.

Test Rankings 

 

 

The application of the annual update formula has caused the biggest dent in England’s Test Ranking. The Three Lions earned 116 Rating Points during the 2018-2019 cycle, their highest rating in any of the last four ranking years, which are now discarded.

 

They earned 106 and 107 Rating Points in the following cycles that are reduced to 50 per cent weightage, leaving only the Tests played after May 1, 2021, with 100 per cent weightage. England played 13 Tests in this period and their Rating Points were a paltry 66. This resulted in a reduction of nine Rating Points in England’s Test Ranking – that is also sufficient to slide them to number six, below Pakistan.

 

Pakistan swapping places with England at the fifth and sixth spot is the only change in ICC Test Team Rankings this year. Meanwhile, all other Test teams managed to maintain their respective spots in the ranking albeit with some changes in Rating Points.

 

Australia were at the top of the Test Rankings, only one Rating Point ahead of India. They are now nine points clear of India after gaining the same amount after this year’s annual update.

 

Australia had earned only 97 points in the 2018-2019 cycle which is now discarded. They earned 129 and 94 Rating Points, respectively, in the next two cycles. Although the weightage of 94 points earned in 2020-2021 is reduced to 50 per cent, but its overall impact on Australia’s Rating is minimal as those 94 points came off only in five Tests. Australia had a phenomenal 2021-2022 cycle where they earned massive 136 Rating Points from 10 Tests.

 

 

ODI Rankings

 

 

ICC ODI Team Rankings table does witness considerable changes in Rating Points of the teams after this year’s annual update.

 

Pakistan replaced South Africa at the fifth spot after yielding a net gain of more than five Rating Points after this year’s annual update. The Men-in-Green mainly benefited from the expunge of the 2018-2019 cycle where they earned only 89 points in 11 ODIs. The next cycle, 2019-2020, was the Men-in-Green’s best one of the last four years where they earned 105 Rating Points from seven ODIs. The reduction in weightage of 2020-2021 ratings had minimal impact as Pakistan played only three ODIs yielding 101 Rating Points in this period.

 

Although the 1992 World Champions performed only at par during the 2021-2022 cycle (yielding 100 Rating Points from six ODIs), they saw a positive effect due to exclusion of their worst cycle of 2018-2019.

 

South Africa, on the other hand, lost their best cycle in the last four years. Proteas earned 111 Rating Points from 21 ODIs in the 2018-2019 cycle, which is now expunged from the calculations. Their next best cycle was 2019-2020 with 110 Rating Points that are already weighed at 50 per cent. South Africa earned only 84 Rating Points from three ODIs in the 2020-2021 cycle which is reduced to 50 per cent weightage. During 2021-2022, the only cycle to be counted with 100 per cent weightage, they earned 94 Rating Points. Thus, their Rating Points saw a net loss of more than three points, leaving enough space for Pakistan to replace them at the fifth spot.

 

 

T20I Rankings

 

 

Meanwhile, ICC T20I Team Rankings Table saw more changes than ODI or Test Team Rankings but still, not really the significant ones.

 

While, there are no changes in the top three, New Zealand, have dropped to number six from the fourth spot. South Africa and Australia, both have risen a spot, moving to fourth and fifth spots, respectively.

 

Similarly, Afghanistan, have slid to number 10 from the eighth position, enabling Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, to rise one rank above, to the eighth and ninth spot, respectively.

 

Among the ICC Full Members, New Zealand and Afghanistan lost the most – more than five Rating Points in this year’s annual update. On the other hand, West Indies gained more than four points. England and Pakistan also lost more than three Rating Points but that was insufficient for either of them to lose their current spots, number two and number three, respectively.