The scale of the humiliation that the world ranked Number 1 Australians are currently enduring in Sri Lanka, coupled with results such as a 4-0 whitewash on their most recent tour of India, walloped on their last overseas tour against Pakistan and getting bowled out for 60 in 18 overs at Trent Bridge in losing the Ashes to England, its hard to escape the conclusion that there are flaws in the ranking process.
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England all out for 253 and have set Pakistan a total of just 40 to win.
Yet another humiliating Australian batting collapse. Set a target of 324 to win and in the space of 23 overs, lost all 10 wickets as they slumped from 77/0 to 160 all out. Sri Lanka whitewash Australia to take the series 3-0.
Australia fall to 3rd in the rankings. India are new Number 1, but if they don’t win the 4th test starting in Trinidad tomorrow, Pakistan will go top. Would be some achievement for Pakistan to head the rankings, not having played a home test in Pakistan for so long.
1 India (112 points)
2 Pakistan (111)
3 Australia (108)
4 England (108)
5 New Zealand (99)
6 Sri Lanka (95)
7 South Africa (92)
8 West Indies (65)
9 Bangladesh (57)
10 Zimbabwe (8)
I’ve been well impressed with the Mullahs in England, a great series.
Wouldn’t read too much into the Sri Lanka tour, Australia were experimenting and left their batting coach at home even.
South Africa have fallen away badly with all the retirements.
They’ve lost series to England, India and Australia in the last 18 months but after dominating test cricket for 5-6 years, I can’t fathom how they can have fallen so far. They’re two places below New Zealand. New Zealand have never beaten South Africa in a test series, haven’t beaten Pakistan and Australia since the mid 80’s and last time they won a series against England was in 1999.
Mate, that’s a very off handed analysis. Blewett stayed in Aus because of the birth of a child. Joe Burns is a long term opener choice. Nathan Lyon is the teams No1 spinner and has to get better on the sub continent.
All of them do and this was taken very seriously. It was a disgraceful performance over the three tests.
Not to take away from Sri Lanka BTW, who achieved their first ever series whitewash against Australia.
You’re right @GeoffreyBoycott the rankings are a joke.
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What’s particularly amusing is that India’s five day tenure at the top of the rankings has been ended as a consequence of four full days of the Trinidad test getting washed out. Its farcical that the Windies now have to play their home test matches in August with hurricane season in the Caribbean looming. The traditional West Indies home season was March through to early June, but that had to be shelved to accommodate Indian Premier League Twenty Twenty.
Delighted for Pakistan. After not playing a test in Pakistan for almost a decade, they really deserve their place at the top of the pile.
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Dale Steyn is pumped up and on fire at Centurion in the second and deciding test of the series. New Zealand set a target of 400 after South Africa declared on 132/7. Steyn in his first two overs has picked up the three wickets of Latham, Gutpil (both first ball) and Taylor, all for ducks. New Zealand on 5-3. Make that 7-4. PhIlander has just picked up the wicket of Williamson with the first delivery of the fourth over.
There’s no better sight in test cricket than a fired up and angry Dale Steyn.
Ian Bell could be in line for a recall of England/Wales/SA/Ireland/Scotland/India/Pakistan’s tour of Bangladesh and India.
Great to see the poms fall back on the old reliables
Very strange that. Though in fairness they probably should have taken him to South Africa last winter. Vince and Ballance are not nailing down 4 and 5.
England were far too quick in dropping Ian Bell. He was only 33 when dropped this time last year. He was in outstanding form in 2013 and 2014 and hit a really classy century in Antigua in the first test of 2015. He had a poor Ashes but bar Chris Rogers and Joe Root, no batsman on either team in that Ashes 2015 played anywhere close to scratch. He was in very good nick for Warwickshire against Somerset last night.
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Is he the guy that dave warner made have a mental breakdown?
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Only one non English born player has a chance of playing in the Test team and you somehow managed to miss his nationality.
Hard keep up with the United Nations XI these days. I’ll have to add it to the moniker next time.
Hardly. Ian Bell is one of only three England players alongside Ian Botham and Wilfred Rhodes to have played in five Ashes winning teams.
You might be thinking of the 2013 Ashes series in England in which Ian Bell was Player of the Series and Australia failed to win a test in an Ashes series for the first time since 1977. It was David Warner having the mental breakdown though. He was kicked off the Australian side for the first two tests after punching the world’s top batsman Joe Root in a bar in Birmingham.
he battered the racist Joe Root
that was class
He did in his fucking hole.
he didnt slap him around?
No, he made a complete arse of himself and then Root slapped Australia around.