India Retains Top Spot In ICC ODI Rankings, South Africa Climbs To Fourth
- By Thetripurapost Desk, Mumbai
- May 12, 2026
- 353
India national cricket team has retained the number one position in the latest annual ICC ODI rankings released on Monday, with 118 rating points.
New Zealand national cricket team occupies the second spot with 113 points, while Australia national cricket team remains third with 109 points.
A major change in the updated rankings saw South Africa national cricket team move into the top four after overtaking Pakistan national cricket team. South Africa now has 102 points, while Pakistan slipped to fifth position with 98 points.
According to the International Cricket Council, matches played since May 2025 were given full 100 percent weighting, while matches from the previous two years carried a 50 percent weighting in the annual rankings update.
India’s ranking was further strengthened after winning the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in March by defeating New Zealand in the final. The ICC also shared a celebratory image from the Indian dressing room while announcing the rankings update. South African batter David Miller was also highlighted for his innings against England during the tournament.
Sri Lanka Sixth, Afghanistan Seventh
The remaining positions in the top 10 remained unchanged. Sri Lanka national cricket team is placed sixth with 96 points, followed by Afghanistan national cricket team in seventh with 93 points.
England cricket team is eighth with 89 points, while Bangladesh national cricket team occupies ninth place with 84 points. West Indies cricket team is tenth with 74 points.
The gap between Bangladesh and West Indies has widened to 10 points from six in the previous update, adding significance to the race for direct qualification for the 2027 Cricket World Cup.
According to ICC qualification rules, the top eight teams in the ODI rankings as of March 31, 2027, will qualify directly for the World Cup.
Hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe have already secured automatic qualification. If South Africa finishes inside the top eight, the ninth-ranked team could also qualify directly, making the competition between Bangladesh and West Indies particularly crucial.
Ireland Move Up, USA Rise To 13th
Ireland cricket team climbed to 11th place with 54 points, overtaking Zimbabwe, which dropped to 12th with 53 points.
Meanwhile, the United States national cricket team moved up to 13th place with 46 points, surpassing Scotland national cricket team, which now has 44 points.
The United Arab Emirates national cricket team also improved its ranking by moving ahead of Canada national cricket team to reach 19th place.