Australia's No.1 Test position in danger - India, Pakistan & England in the hunt

No.1 Test ranking of the Australia team is in danger after their miserable performance in the second Test against Sri Lanka. They lost the second Test match and thereby gave the hosts an unassailable 2-0 lead in the 3-match Test series. Following Australia’s series loss, India, England, and Pakistan have an opportunity to top the ranking charts.

Currently, the Aussies have 118 rating points followed by India with 112, Pakistan with 111 and England with 108. According to the Test rankings predictor, Australia is set to lose at least seven rating points after the series loss.

Even if Australia manages to end the Test series with a victory in the third Test, they will lose crucial points. Thus, they will have to rely on other results to see if they can hold on to the top spot.

If the third Test between Australia and Sri Lanka Test is drawn or if Sri Lanka wins:

For Pakistan:

With the England-Pakistan series nicely poised at 1-1, a series win for the visitors will take them to the pinnacle of the rankings for the first time in history. Even a draw in the third Test between Australia and Sri Lanka will take Pakistan to the top. India will take it over if they win by 3-0 against West Indies.

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For England:

If England can win the series against Pakistan, and if India doesn’t manage to win the series better than 2-0, England will top the ranking charts.

For India:

If India wins the series against West Indies 3-0, India will be ranked No.1; if England wins the series or if the series against Pakistan ends in a draw. The result of the Australia-Sri Lanka third Test, will not affect in this scenario.

India is currently leading the 4-match Test series 1-0 and Sri Lanka is leading the 3-match series 2-0.