Australia have retained the No. 1 spot in the latest ICC Test rankings, despite suffering a heavy defeat to South Africa in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s.
South Africa, powered by Aiden Markram’s stellar century and Kagiso Rabada’s nine wickets, won their first major ICC title in 27 years. Captain Temba Bavuma also made crucial contributions in the final. The victory has boosted South Africa to the second position in the ICC rankings with 114 points from 22 matches, just one point ahead of third-placed England.
Despite the loss, Australia hold onto 123 rating points across 26 Tests, thanks to consistent performances throughout the WTC cycle. Their ranking wasn’t affected significantly due to the weighting system that considers long-term performance and match volume.
India, under new captain Shubman Gill, are placed fourth after a mixed season — a whitewash of New Zealand at home followed by a series loss to Australia. With senior players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma having retired from Test cricket, India are entering a rebuilding phase.
The Test rankings are likely to shift again soon:
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Australia begin a three-match Test series against the West Indies on June 25
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South Africa face Zimbabwe in a two-match series from June 28
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India and England open their five-match Test series on June 20 — marking the start of the 2025–2027 WTC cycle
This series in England could be especially pivotal, with both teams looking to gain early momentum in the new WTC cycle.
