Cricket is a game with three different types of matches played internationally: Tests, ODIs, and T20s. Each format is unique, which is why different countries excel in different formats. Currently, India is leading in Tests, England is at the top in ODIs, and Pakistan dominates T20 Internationals.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) gives points to teams based on their performance in various tournaments and series. These points are used to rank the teams, encouraging healthy competition among countries. Each format has its own ranking list.
This article creates a list of the top 5 teams by averaging their points across all three formats.
5. Pakistan
Tests: Points: 95 Rank: 7
ODIs: Points: 102 Rank:5
T20Is: Points: 138 Rank:1
Points across three formats: 111.66
Rank across three formats: 4.33
Pakistan is really good at T20 cricket. They’re the best team in the world, with 138 points, while India, in second place, has 127 points. Recently, Pakistan won all three matches against New Zealand in the T20 series.
Since 2016, they’ve won all 11 T20 series they’ve played, often without losing a single match. In One Day Internationals (ODIs), they’re okay. They won the Champions Trophy in 2017 but lost all five matches to New Zealand earlier this year.
They didn’t make it to the finals of the Asia Cup. They did tie a recent ODI series with New Zealand. In Test cricket, they tied a series with England and beat Australia once. But they lost to Sri Lanka and are currently losing to New Zealand. If they do well in Tests and ODIs consistently, they could become a really strong team.
4. New Zealand
Tests: Points: 102 Rank: 4
ODIs: Points: 112 Rank:3
T20Is: Points: 112 Rank:5
Points across three formats: 108.66
Rank across three formats: 4
New Zealand did well in different types of cricket games. They won all the matches against Pakistan and West Indies when playing at home in one-day games, but they lost to England. In test matches, they beat both West Indies and England when playing at home. Recently, they won the first test match against Pakistan in a series of three games.
In one-day games, they tied with Pakistan but lost all the matches in the three-game series of Twenty20 games. They didn’t do very well in Twenty20 games, as shown by their rank. Last year, they lost to South Africa, India, and Pakistan in Twenty20 series.
Even though New Zealand’s average points in different types of cricket are lower than Pakistan’s, their overall rank is lower, which is why New Zealand is ranked fourth on the list.
3. South Africa
Tests: Points: 106 Rank: 2
ODIs: Points: 111 Rank: 4
T20Is: Points: 111 Rank: 6
Points across three formats: 109.33
Rank across three formats: 4
South Africa is usually very good at playing cricket against one other team at a time. They’re also good at playing away from home. They’ve won against teams like Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, India, and Australia in their own countries in Test matches. But when they played against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, they lost both matches.
In one-day matches, they’ve beaten teams like Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh when playing at home. Recently, they won a series against Australia in Australia, but they lost badly to India when playing at home. In T20 matches, they’ve won against Australia, Zimbabwe, and Bangladesh, but they lost to India, England, and Sri Lanka. So, they’ve been doing okay, not great, lately.
Their points average is not as high as Pakistan’s, but because they have a better ranking in all three types of cricket and more average points than New Zealand, they’re in third place.
2. England
Tests: Points: 105 Rank: 3
ODIs: Points: 126 Rank:1
T20Is: Points: 118 Rank:4
Points across three formats: 116.33
Rank across three formats: 2.66
Since the 2015 World Cup, England’s cricket team has been really good, especially in one-day matches. They have strong players who can bat, bowl, and field well, which helps them win games. Recently, they beat India in a test series at home, and now they’re winning against Sri Lanka. But they didn’t do so well against Australia or New Zealand in previous matches.
In one-day games, England has been unstoppable. They’ve scored the most big scores since 2015 and won 9 out of 10 series they played. They only lost one series against Scotland. They’re looking strong for the World Cup and are one of the top teams to watch out for.
However, in T20 matches, they haven’t been as successful. They lost to India and West Indies but managed to beat South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Australia.
Overall, England is ranked second in the world with an average score of 116.33 and a rank of 2.66.
1. India
Tests: Points: 116 Rank: 1
ODIs: Points: 121 Rank:2
T20Is: Points: 127 Rank:2
Points across three formats: 121.33
Rank across three formats: 1.66
India has been doing really well in cricket. They did lose some matches against South Africa and England, but apart from that, they’ve been winning. They won the Asia Cup in 2018 and beat West Indies in all types of matches at home. They’re almost always winning when they play in their own country.
In Test matches, they hardly ever lose when playing at home. The last time they lost a series at home was in 2012-13 against England. Recently, they’ve beaten teams like South Africa, New Zealand, England, Australia, Sri Lanka, and West Indies at home. They even won series in Sri Lanka and West Indies. But they haven’t managed to win a series in South Africa, England, or Australia yet. They have a good chance to win against Australia in the upcoming series, though.
In One Day International matches, they’ve won 11 out of 12 series they played. They only lost one series against England.
In T20 matches, India has been doing well too. They’ve beaten teams like Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and England.
Overall, India is currently the best team with the highest average points and rank.
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