After crushing England 2-0, where do South Africa and India stand in the ICC rankings?

South Africa defeated England 2-0 to secure their first ODI series win there since 1998, jumping to 5th in ICC rankings. Pakistan slipped to 6th, India stays No.1.

New Delhi: The South African team on the England tour showed a brilliant game and took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series. With this win, they not only won the ODI series on England soil for the first time since 1998 but also made a big jump in the ICC ODI team rankings, and now they have reached the 5th position.

Exciting journey of the series

In the first ODI match played in Leeds, South Africa took the lead by defeating England by 7 wickets. After this, they faced a tough challenge in the second match played at Lord's on 4 September, but in this exciting match that lasted till the last overs, they defeated England by 5 runs. This victory was special in many ways.

In fact, this was their second closest win against England. Earlier in the year 2000, they had won by just 1 run in Cape Town.

Jump in ranking

Before the start of the series, South Africa's rating was 98. After the first match, it rose to 100, and after the victory in the second match, it reached 101. This gave them a gain of one position, and they overtook Pakistan to reach the 5th position.

Loss to Pakistan

While South Africa benefited from this victory, Pakistan suffered a loss. Earlier, both Pakistan and South Africa had a rating of 100, but South Africa's continuous victory pushed Pakistan back, and now it has slipped to the sixth position. This can be a matter of concern for them before the upcoming big tournaments, especially the World Cup.

India's dominance continues

India still occupies the top position in the ICC ODI rankings. India has 124 points. They are followed by New Zealand at second, Australia at third, and Sri Lanka at fourth.

South Africa is now at fifth and Pakistan at sixth position. After this, Afghanistan is at seventh, England at eighth, West Indies at ninth, and Bangladesh at tenth position. Especially the performance of England and Bangladesh is considered disappointing because both have been traditionally strong teams.

South Africa's victory was not just limited to a historic series win in England, but it also brought about a big change in their international rankings. On the other hand, Pakistan has suffered losses. India is at the top, and looking at its performance at the moment, its position looks strong.

In the upcoming World Cup, the impact of these rankings will be clearly visible on the mindset and strategy of the teams.