India maintained pole position on the ICC Test rankings as per the annual update released by the global cricket body on May 18. The update gives a 50 per cent consideration to results from the 2015-16 series. Gaining a solitary point, India moved to 123 on the points table. However, second-placed South Africa catapulted to 117 points, gaining seven points, thereby narrowing down the gap between them and number one ranked India.
Australia held on to the third position by a slender thread, having lost eight points as per the update, which now separates them and the seventh ranked Sri Lanka (91 points) by only nine points. England are breathing down Australia's neck, sitting on 99. They too conceded two points.
Pakistan slipped to 93 from 97 to take the sixth position, while New Zealand, Bangladesh and West Indies, all gained one, three and five points respectively. New Zealand (97) are placed fifth on the table. Notwithstanding the three-point rise, Bangladesh (69) are placed ninth, six points behind West Indies (75). Zimbabwe, who lost five points, are languishing at the tenth position (zero points).
