After more than two years Pakistan lost its top spot in the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 rankings on Friday, slipping to the fourth position as Australia climbed to number one in both Test matches and T20 internationals.
The reshuffle came as the ICC released an annual update, removing the outcomes of matches played in rankings determination between 2016 and 2017. All matches played during 2019 were weighted at 100 percent in the new update while all matches played in 2018 and 2017 were weighted at 50pc.
Australia replaced Pakistan on the T20 table, according to a media release on the ICC website. After beating New Zealand, Pakistan had achieved the number one spot in January 2018 and held its dominance for 27 months in the sport’s shortest format.
Pakistan lost 10 points to hit 260 in the latest rankings and was put following Australia (278), England (268), and India (266).
India also lost its number one place to Australia in Test matches, slipping to third after having held the top spot since October 2016. As it stands now, there is a one-point difference between New Zealand, which is now in second place at 115 points versus Australia’s 116, while India is now in third place at 114 points.
South Africa lost eight points, finishing sixth behind England (4th) and Sri Lanka (5th) in Test matches. Pakistan ranks seventh in the 86-point Check rankings.
Even with adjustments in points, the ICC rankings for One-day Internationals (ODIs) remained unchanged. England (127) retained its top ranking and increased its lead over India. India is second with 119 points while New Zealand held third with 116 points.
Pakistan is ranked sixth with 102 points in ICC ODI rankings.
