ISLAMABAD: South Africa has broken into the top four of the ICC men’s ODI team rankings following the governing body’s annual update, marking the only change among the top ten sides as India’s once-comfortable lead at the summit has been slashed to just five points.
International Cricket Council released its yearly rankings refresh across all formats in May, having already updated the Test and T20I tables earlier this month. For the latest ODI update, all matches played since May 2025 carry 100 per cent weightage, while results from the two preceding years now hold only half the value.
Key ramifications for the @cricketworldcup 2027 qualifications in the annual ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings update 👀https://t.co/2xMlGGRUcN
— ICC (@ICC) May 11, 2026
Proteas climb past Pakistan
South Africa’s rise to fourth position sees them overtake Pakistan, who now sit fifth. The Proteas currently hold a rating of 102 points from 41 matches, compared to Pakistan’s 98 points from 44 fixtures.
At the top, India remain world number one with 118 points, but their advantage has been significantly trimmed. New Zealand hold second spot with 113 points, while Australia are third on 109 points.
Sri Lanka (96 points), Afghanistan (93 points), and England (89 points) occupy sixth, seventh, and eighth positions respectively.
Bangladesh receive World Cup qualification boost
Ninth-placed Bangladesh have gained a crucial advantage in their pursuit of direct qualification for the 2027 ODI World Cup. The latest update has extended their lead over tenth-placed West Indies to ten points, up from a margin of just six points previously.
Under ICC rules, the top eight teams in the rankings automatically qualify for the World Cup, alongside the co-hosts. The 2027 edition will be jointly hosted by South Africa and Zimbabwe. Assuming South Africa remain inside the top eight by the qualification cut-off, the ninth-ranked team would then secure a direct berth, while teams placed tenth and below would be forced to navigate the qualifier route.
ICC Men’s ODI team rankings (Annual Update)
- India– 45 matches, 118 rating
- New Zealand– 50 matches, 113 rating
- Australia– 38 matches, 109 rating
- South Africa– 41 matches, 102 rating (+1)
- Pakistan– 44 matches, 98 rating (-1)
- Sri Lanka– 47 matches, 96 rating
- Afghanistan– 28 matches, 93 rating
- England– 43 matches, 89 rating
- Bangladesh– 44 matches, 84 rating
- West Indies– 41 matches, 74 rating
