January 11, 2002
Australia peerless
M J Manohar Rao and Srinivas Bhogle
Australia: 74.05, South Africa: 56.95.
We can't think of a better way to describe Australia's overwhelming superiority in Test cricket today.
After their 3-0 victory over South Africa, Australia are an amazing 17 points ahead of the world's second best team. If Australia were to win 3-0 again in the return series in South Africa, they would be 23 points ahead!
We provide, below, the updated version of Table A as on January 11, 2002.
-- How the rankings work...
| TABLE A: Test Score Card (as on January 11, 2002) |
| |
A W A Y |
| Aus |
Eng |
Ind |
NZ |
Pak |
RSA |
SL |
WI |
Zim |
H
O
M
E |
Australia |
|
4 / 5
3.5 / 5
|
1 / 3
3 / 3
|
3 / 3
1.5 / 3
|
2 / 3
3 / 3
|
2 / 3
3 / 3
|
1 / 3
3 / 3 |
2 / 4
5 / 5
|
1 / 1
- |
| England |
1.5 / 5
1 / 5
|
|
1 / 3
2 / 3
|
2.5 / 3
1.5 / 4
|
2 / 3
1 / 2
|
2 / 5
3 / 5
|
2 / 3
0 / 1 |
2 / 6
3.5 / 5
|
1 / 2
1.5 / 2
|
| India |
0 / 3
2 / 3
|
1 / 3
2 / 3 |
|
1 / 3
2 / 3
|
2 / 4
1 / 3
|
0.5 / 2
0 / 2
|
1 / 3
1.5 / 3
|
2 / 5
1.5 / 3 |
1 / 2
1.5 / 2
|
| New Zealand |
1.5 / 3
0 / 3
|
2.5 / 4
0.5 / 3
|
1 / 3
2 / 3
|
|
1 / 2
1.5 / 3
|
0.5 / 3
1 / 3
|
1 / 3
2 / 2
|
0.5 / 2
2 / 2
|
2 / 2
0.5 / 1
|
| Pakistan |
0 / 3
1 / 3
|
1 / 2
1 / 3
|
2 / 3
2 / 4 |
1.5 / 3
1 / 2
|
|
1 / 2
1 / 3
|
2.5 / 3
1 / 3
|
1 / 3
3 / 3
|
1.5 / 2
1 / 3
|
| South Africa |
1 / 3
1 / 3
|
2 / 5
3 / 5
|
2 / 2
1.5 / 2
|
2 / 3
2.5 / 3
|
2 / 3
1 / 2
|
|
1.5 / 3
2.5 / 3
|
3 / 5
5 / 5
|
1 / 1
2 / 2
|
| Sri Lanka |
0 / 3
2 / 3
|
1 / 1
1 / 3
|
1.5 / 3
2 / 3
|
0 / 2
2 / 3
|
2 / 3
0.5 / 3
|
0.5 / 3
1.5 / 3
|
|
0.5 / 2
3 / 3 |
2 / 3
2 / 2
|
| West Indies |
0 / 5
2 / 4
|
1.5 / 5
4 / 6
|
1.5 / 3
3 / 5
|
0 / 2
1.5 / 2 |
0 / 3
2 / 3
|
0 / 5
2 / 5
|
0 / 3
1.5 / 2
|
|
1.5 / 2
2 / 2 |
| Zimbabwe |
-
0 / 1
|
0.5 / 2
1 / 2
|
0.5 / 2
1 / 2
|
0.5 / 1
0 / 2
|
2 / 3
0.5 / 2
|
0 / 2
0 / 1
|
0 / 2
1 / 3
|
0 / 2
0.5 / 2
|
|
The corresponding ranking table, Table F, appears below.
| Country |
Performance
index (RBI) |
Rank |
Difference
23.12.01 to 11.1.02 |
| Australia |
74.05 |
1 |
+2.41 |
| South Africa |
56.95 |
2 |
-3.90 |
| England |
47.35 |
3 |
-0.21 |
| Pakistan |
42.76 |
4 |
-0.18 |
| New Zealand |
42.47 |
5 |
+0.10 |
| Sri Lanka |
41.86 |
6 |
-0.29 |
| India |
39.37 |
7 |
+0.00 |
| West Indies |
34.75 |
8 |
-0.28 |
| Zimbabwe |
21.17 |
9 |
+0.00 |
Looking at Table F, we find that the top three (Australia, South Africa and England) are still comfortably ahead, but the battle for places 4-6 is extremely close (Pakistan 42.76, New Zealand 42.47 and Sri Lanka 41.86).
Pakistan haven't seen much Test cricket recently (and their wins in Bangladesh won't figure in our ratings). Their next series against West Indies should be interesting (if the series is played in Sharjah we have a minor problem because our formulation doesn't accommodate Test series played at 'neutral' venues. We will probably assume, and most would agree with us, that Sharjah is 'home' for Pakistan!).
This Pakistan-West Indies series will, however, not offer Pakistan any opportunity to climb in the rankings since they won 3-0 when the two teams last met at 'home'. It is therefore a nothing-to-gain-but-something-to-lose kind of situation for Pakistan. Even a minor setback against WI (a few draws, for example) will result in Pakistan dropping down by about half a point -- enough for New Zealand to sneak ahead to the fourth place.
New Zealand continue to ride their luck in the Rediff ratings. Their happy streak began when rain and some brave cricket allowed them to draw thrice against Australia in Australia and thereby garner some very valuable points. Currently placed fifth, NZ encountered more good luck when Australia's 3-0 whitewash of South Africa pushed up Australia's 'home' weight -- to NZ's advantage. The moment of reckoning for the Kiwis will come when they face England at home after a few weeks.
The hapless Sri Lankans find themselves in the middle of their best ever winning streak (and they are winning every Test match handsomely!), but yet unable to pick up points because they are defeating opponents (West Indies and Zimbabwe) right at the bottom of the Test cricket rating table -- and at home. But if they continue to play so well -- and win a few Test matches away -- they will quickly climb to the third position (which many believe they richly deserve in their current form).
Sri Lanka could draw some comfort from the fact that the 'official' ICC Test Championship table puts them comfortably at the third position. But the same table puts Pakistan at the eighth position and would even allow South Africa to become No. 1 at Australia's expense if they win their home series even by the tiniest margin!
Our next update will appear after the Sri Lanka-Zimbabwe series ends, although that series will hardly change things in our ratings. But, before that, we hope to release our ratings for one day international cricket. Those ratings, we promise, will contain a few surprises. Even the peerless Australian side could be in for a rude shock!
The Rediff test cricket ratings will soon become "interactive"; cricket fans will be able to enter different combinations of points for home and away matches and see how the ratings change. Computer programs for this interactive service are being developed by Siba Prasad Satapathy and Manoj Kumar Choudhury of NAL in association with the Rediff team.
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Design: Imran Shaikh
