How the ICC cricket rankings work
Why can India drop a place in the ODI table in May without playing a match?
Because every year, around 1 May, the ICC updates all the rankings at once. By the usual account of the rule (the ICC does not spell it out), that is when the oldest results drop out and the next oldest count for half, so a table can reorder overnight.
The ICC keeps two kinds of ranking.
Team rankings work like a batting average. A team earns points from each match (or each Test series), and its rating is its points divided by the number of matches, to the nearest whole number. A win earns more points than the team's current rating, so the rating goes up; a defeat earns fewer, so it goes down. How many points a result is worth depends on how strong the opponent was.
Player rankings rate each batter, bowler and all-rounder from 0 to 1,000. The rating is a moving average of the player's performances, worked out by computer from the scorecard alone: the runs, the wickets, how strong the opposition was and how easy or hard runs were to come by in that match. Recent matches count more than old ones.
The ICC explains these ideas but does not publish the full formulas.
The one thing to remember: a cricket rating is an average, so a result moves it only as far as that result is better or worse than what the team or player usually does.
Team rankings: what the ICC says
- The method was developed by the statistician David Kendix. It covers men's Test, ODI and T20I teams and women's ODI and T20I teams.
- A team's rating is the points it has scored divided by its match or series total, to the nearest whole number. The ICC compares it with a batting average, with points in place of runs and matches in place of dismissals.
- The Test and ODI tables list teams with Test or ODI status that meet the eligibility rules on matches played. The T20I table lists every member that meets them.
- Test rankings are updated after each series; ODI and T20I rankings after each match.
- Every ranking has an annual update around 1 May.
Team rankings: the points rule, as others report it
The ICC does not publish this part.
After a match, each team earns points based on the two ratings before the match:
| Ratings before the match | Win | Tie (or draw) | Defeat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 40 apart | Opponent's rating + 50 | Opponent's rating | Opponent's rating − 50 |
| 40 or more apart, stronger team | Own rating + 10 | Own rating − 40 | Own rating − 90 |
| 40 or more apart, weaker team | Own rating + 90 | Own rating + 40 | Own rating − 10 |
So beating a much weaker side earns only 10 points above your own rating, while beating a much stronger one earns 90. For Tests the same rule is applied to series: a point for each Test won and half for a draw or tie, plus a bonus point for winning the series (half each if the series is drawn).
The reported time window: results from the last three to four years count, the older half at half weight. Each May the oldest year drops out and the next year moves to half weight, which is why tables change in May.
A worked example, made up, using the reported rule. A team rated 110 beats a team rated 100. The ratings are less than 40 apart, so the winner earns 100 + 50 = 150 points from the match and the loser 110 − 50 = 60. Each team's rating is then its new points total divided by its new number of matches.
Player rankings: what the ICC says
- Scale and method. Players are rated from 0 to 1,000. The rating is a moving average worked out by a series of pre-programmed calculations, with no human judgement. Each format has slightly different factors.
- The scorecard only. No panel judges the pitch. If both teams score 500 in each innings, runs are treated as easier to come by and count for less; if both score 150, runs count for more.
- Opposition strength is taken into account, so there should be no advantage in playing a particular team.
- Recency. The rating reflects a player's whole career, with more weight on recent matches. The ICC says it is not a pure form guide.
- Not batting, not bowling. A batter who does not bat keeps the same rating. A bowler who does not bowl is not penalised if the opposition is bowled out for under 150, but loses points if the opposition makes a big total.
- Who is listed. A player must have played in the qualifying period: usually 12 to 15 months for Tests and 9 to 12 months for ODIs and T20Is. A player who confirms retirement from a format is removed from it. The ICC publishes at most the top 100.
- When. Since March 2021 the player rankings are updated weekly: women's (ODI and T20I) on Tuesdays and men's (all three formats) on Wednesdays, including matches finished by the previous day.
- What the numbers mean. Over 900 is exceptional, 750 is usually enough for the top ten, 500 is good and solid.
- All-rounders. The index is batting points times bowling points, divided by 1,000. A player with 600 batting and 200 bowling has an index of 120; 300 or more is world class.
- Not rated: wicket-keeping and fielding, because there is no satisfactory statistical measure.
What is not published
The player-rating algorithm itself, and the ICC's own statement of the team points rule and time window. This page will be updated if the ICC publishes them.
Where to see them
icc-cricket.com, rankings: team rankings by format, and player rankings for batting, bowling and all-rounders.
Variations
| Ranking | Covered here |
|---|---|
| Men's Test, ODI and T20I team rankings | Yes |
| Women's ODI and T20I team rankings | Yes (same method, by the ICC's description) |
| Player rankings (batting, bowling, all-rounders) | Yes, as far as the ICC describes them |
| World Test Championship table | No. A separate competition with its own points |