ICC Test Championship

The ICC Test Championship is an international competition run by the International Cricket Council for the 12 teams that play Test cricket. The competition is notional in the sense that it is simply a ranking scheme overlaid on all international matches that are otherwise played as part of regular Test cricket scheduling with no consideration of home or away status.

This article is about the ranking system for Test sides. For the Test league competition beginning in 2019, see ICC World Test Championship.

ICC Test Championship

Administrator	International Cricket Council
Format	Test cricket
First edition	2003
Latest edition	Ongoing
Tournament format	Notional (ongoing points accumulation through all matches played)
Number of teams	12
Current champion	Australia (116 points)
Most successful	Australia (85 months)
Longest continuous champion	Australia (74 months)
Highest rating	Australia (143 rating)

In essence, after every Test series, the two teams involved receive points based on a mathematical formula. Each team's points total from matches over the last 3−4 years is divided by a figure based on their total number of matches and series played, to give a 'rating'. The teams are ranked by order of rating, which is shown in a table.

A drawn match between higher and lower rated teams will benefit the lower-rated team at the expense of the higher-rated team. An 'average' team that wins as often as it loses, while playing a mix of stronger and weaker teams, will have a rating of 100.

The ICC awards a trophy, the ICC Test Championship mace, to the team holding the highest rating. The mace is transferred whenever a new team moves to the top of the rating list.[1] The team that is top of the ratings table on 1 April each year also wins a cash prize, currently $1 million.[2]

Australia are currently the highest-ranked team in the ICC Test Championship, as per the latest annual ranking update published on 1 May 2020.[3]

Current

ICC Test Championship
Rank	Team	Matches	Points	Rating
1	Australia	26	3,028	116
2	New Zealand	21	2,406	115
3	India	27	3,085	114
4	England	33	3,466	105
5	Sri Lanka	27	2,454	91
6	South Africa	23	2,076	90
7	Pakistan	16	1,372	86
8	West Indies	18	1,422	79
9	Afghanistan	3	170	57
10	Bangladesh	17	939	55
11	Zimbabwe	8	144	18
12	Ireland	0	0	0
Reference: Cricinfo rankings page, ICC Rankings, 1 May 2020
"Matches" is no. matches + no. series played in the 12–24 months since the May before last, plus half the number in the 24 months before that.

Historical rankings

The ICC provides ratings for the end of each month back to June 2003. The teams that have successively held the highest rating since that date, by whole month periods are:

Team	Start	End	Total Months	Cumulative Months	Highest rating
Australia	June 2003	July 2009	74	74	143
South Africa	August 2009	November 2009	3	3	122
India	November 2009	August 2011	21	21	125
England	August 2011	August 2012	12	12	125
South Africa	August 2012	May 2014	21	24	135
Australia	May 2014	July 2014	3	77	123
South Africa	July 2014	January 2016	18	42	130
India	January 2016	February 2016	1	22	110
Australia	February 2016	August 2016	6	83	118
India	August 2016	August 2016	25 days	22	112
Pakistan	August 2016	October 2016	2	2	111
India	October 2016	April 2020	43	65	130
Australia	May 2020	present	2	85	116
Reference: ICC Rankings

The summary of teams that have held the highest rating from June 2003 to the present by whole month periods are:

Team	Total Months	Highest Rating
Australia	85	143
India	65	130
South Africa	42	135
England	12	125
Pakistan	2	111
Reference: ICC Historical Rankings

Since the ICC officially began ranking teams in 2003, Australia had dominated the championship table. However, from 2009, several teams (Australia, South Africa, India, England and Pakistan) have competed for the top positions.

The ICC retrospectively applied the current rating system to results since 1952 (providing ratings for the end of each month from then). The table only begins then, as prior to 1952 there is insufficient data available due to the infrequency of matches and the small number of competing teams in these earlier periods.[4]

The teams that have successively held the highest rating from January 1952 until May 2003, by whole month periods are:

Team	Start	End	Total Months	Cumulative Months
Australia	January 1952	May 1955	41	41
England	June 1955	February 1958	33	33
Australia	March 1958	July 1958	5	46
England	August 1958	December 1958	5	38
Australia	January 1959	December 1963	60	106
West Indies	January 1964	December 1968	60	60
South Africa	January 1969	December 1969	12	12
England	January 1970	January 1973	37	75
Australia	February 1973	March 1973	2	108
India	April 1973	June 1974	15	15
Australia	July 1974	January 1978	43	151
West Indies	February 1978	January 1979	12	72
England	February 1979	August 1980	19	94
India	September 1980	February 1981	6	21
West Indies	March 1981	July 1988	89	161
Pakistan	August 1988	September 1988	2	2
West Indies	October 1988	January 1991	28	189
Australia	February 1991	April 1991	3	154
West Indies	May 1991	July 1992	15	204
Australia	August 1992	January 1993	6	160
West Indies	February 1993	August 1995	31	235
India	September 1995	November 1995	3	24
Australia	December 1995	July 1999	44	204
South Africa	August 1999	December 1999	5	17
Australia	January 2000	February 2000	2	206
South Africa	March 2000	March 2000	1	18
Australia	April 2000	July 2001	16	222
South Africa	August 2001	August 2001	1	19
Australia	September 2001	May 2003	21	243
Reference: ICC Historical Rankings

The summary of teams that have held the highest rating from 1952 to the present by whole month periods are:

Team	Total Months	Highest Rating
Australia	326	143
West Indies	235	135
England	106	125
India	89	130
South Africa	61	135
Pakistan	4	111
Reference: ICC Historical Rankings

Trophy

Since 2001, the top-ranked Test team in the world has been awarded the ICC Test Championship mace. It is worth £30,000. The top-ranked team at the start of April each year is also awarded £750,000 ($US1 million).[5]

Team	Awarded
Australia	April 2002
Australia	April 2003
Australia	April 2004
Australia	April 2005
Australia	April 2006
Australia	April 2007
Australia	April 2008
Australia	April 2009
India	April 2010
India	April 2011
England	April 2012
South Africa	April 2013
South Africa	April 2014
South Africa	April 2015
Australia	April 2016
India	April 2017
India	April 2018
India	April 2019
India	April 2020
Reference: ICC Rankings ICC Test Championship mace winners since 2002

[6]

Calculations

Each team scores points based on the results of their matches over the last 3−4 years. A series must include at least two Tests.

The rankings table gives the total points from all series played in the 12–24 months since the May before last, plus all the series played in the 24 months before that, for which the matches played and points earned both count half. Each May, the matches and points earned between 3 and 4 years ago are removed, and the matches and points earned between 1 and 2 years ago switch from 100% weighting to 50% weighting. For example, at May 2014, the matches played between May 2010 and May 2011 were removed, and the matches played between May 2012 and May 2013 switched to 50% weighting. This happens overnight, so can result in teams changing positions in the ranking table despite no one playing.

Each time two teams complete another series, the rankings tables is updated as described below, based on the ratings of the teams immediately before they played.[7][8]

Step 1. Find the series points for each team

• Award 1 point to a team for each match won.
• Award 1/2 point to a team for each match drawn or tied.
• Award 1 bonus point to the team winning the series.
• Award 1/2 bonus point to each team if the series is drawn.

Step 2. Convert these series points to actual ratings points

If the gap between the ratings of the two teams before the series was less than 40 points

The ratings points for each team equals:

(The team's own series points) x (The opponent's rating + 50) ${\displaystyle +}$ (The opponent's series points) x (The opponent's rating − 50)

As each match won earns a team 1 series point and their opponent 0, losing earns them 0 series points and their opponent 1, and drawing earns both teams 1/2 series point, each match played therefore earns teams ratings points as follows:

Single match result	Ratings points earned
Win	Opponent's rating + 50
Draw or tie	Opponent's rating
Lose	Opponent's rating − 50

As this formula only applies when the gap between the ratings of the two teams at the start of the series was less than 40 points, winning a match will always earn a team more rating points than the rating they already had, and losing a match will always earn a team fewer rating points than the rating they already had. Drawing a match will earn the weaker team more rating points than the rating they already had, and the stronger team fewer.

The difference between winning and losing a single match is therefore 100 points. Also, whether the outcome of a match is a win & lose or a draw, the total rating points earned by the two teams from that match will be the sum of the two teams' ratings before the series began. The total rating points earned from a series will therefore equal the sum of the two teams' ratings before the series began multiplied by (the number of matches + 1).

If the gap between the ratings of the two teams before the series was at least 40 points

The ratings points for the stronger team equals:

(The team's own series points) x (The team's own rating + 10) ${\displaystyle +}$ (The opponent's series points) x (The team's own rating − 90)

and the ratings points for the weaker team equals:

(The team's own series points) x (The team's own rating + 90) ${\displaystyle +}$ (The opponent's series points) x (The team's own rating − 10).

As above, each match played therefore earns teams ratings points as follows:

Single match result	Ratings points earned
Stronger team wins	Own rating + 10
Weaker team loses	Own rating − 10
Stronger team draws or ties	Own rating − 40
Weaker team draws or ties	Own rating + 40
Stronger team loses	Own rating − 90
Weaker team wins	Own rating + 90

Therefore, again, winning a match will always earn a team more rating points than the rating they already had, and losing a match will always earn a team fewer rating points than the rating they already had. Drawing a match will earn the weaker team more points than the rating they already had, and the stronger team fewer.

For both teams, the difference between winning and losing a single match is still 100 points. Also, whichever of the three outcomes happens, the total rating points earned by the two teams from that match will be the sum of the two teams' ratings before the series began.

Step 3. Update the ranking table

For each team:

• Add the ratings points scored to their total ratings points already scored (in previous matches).
• Update the number of matches played by adding the number of Series points available. This is one more than the number of games in the series, as there is an additional point available for the series winner (a two Test match series will result in the match count getting incremented by three).
• Divide the new rating points total by the updated number of matches to get the updated Rating.

Example

Suppose two teams, initially with ratings of 120 and 90, play a 3-match series, and the team with the higher initial rating wins 2-1:

Team	Ratings before the series			The series				Ratings after the series
	Matches	Points	Rating	Matches won	Matches drawn	Series points	Ratings points	Matches	Points	Rating
A	30	3600	120	2	0	3	3x(90+50) + 1x(90-50) = 460	30+3+1=34	3600+460=4060	119.4
B	36	3240	90	1	0	1	1x(120+50) + 3x(120-50) = 380	36+3+1=40	3240+380=3620	90.5

• The total Ratings points available from the series (460+380=840) is the same as the initial ratings of the teams multiplied by the number of Series points available ((120+90)x4=840).
• The two teams' total ratings is almost exactly the same after the series (119.4+90.5=209.9) as before the series (120+90=210). The series has therefore not generated any extra ratings, but has just redistributed the ratings the two teams already had. When these ratings are published in the official table in their rounded form (119 and 91), the total ratings after the series will be exactly the same as before the series. There is therefore no points 'inflation' in this system, which means that comparisons of ratings over time are meaningful.[9]
• Despite winning the series, Team A's rating has reduced, and despite losing the series, Team B's rating has increased. If Team A had won the series 3-0 then its rating would have increased to 122.4.

See also

• ICC ODI Championship
• ICC T20I Championship
• ICC Player Rankings
• ICC Women's Rankings
• International cricket
• ICC World Test Championship

References

1. cricketnext – England presented with Test mace. Retrieved 22 August 2011
2. "Outcomes from the ICC Board and Committee meetings". ICC. Archived from the original on 7 February 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
3. "Australia reclaim No. 1 Test ranking | ESPNcricinfo.com". www.espncricinfo.com. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
4. "Historical rankings". Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2017.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
5. "Waugh receives ICC Test trophy | Cricket News | Global". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
6. https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/183562
7. "Understanding the ICC rankings system". ESPN Cricinfo. 12 May 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
8. "World Championship for Test Cricket". Archived from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
9. "FAQs on ICC Test Team Rankings". Qn2, ICC. Retrieved 18 January 2016.

External links

• ICC Test Rankings