After their win over India, England are back to ODI ranking 1

Hosts of 2019 World Cup England were in for a shock as they were toppled from the No. 1 position in the ODI rankings set by the International Cricket Council. The twin losses against Sri Lanka and Australia that endangered England’s semi-final chances had also relegated them to No. 2, behind India. However, the plight was short-lived as Eoin Morgan’s side was back to the top as per the ICC’s fresh rankings, thanks to their 31-run win over India at Edgbaston on Sunday.

England came under strong criticism after they lost to the Lankans by 20 runs and Kangaroos by 64 runs in a short span to slide down the points table at the World Cup. From eight points in five games, the Three Lions suddenly found themselves struggling at eight from seven games. Those losses brought Pakistan and Bangladesh close to England after Pakistan’s three-wicket win over Afghanistan, England even found themselves out from the top four with Pakistan replacing it.

But Pakistan’s joy lasted for 24 hours as England thumped India, who Pakistan and Bangladesh had expected to do them a favour. It was complete dominance by the England team as they scored 337 for 7 and then restricted to India to 306 for 5. England are now on 10 points from eight games and a win in their final match against New Zealand will take them through to the semi-finals. Pakistan and Bangladesh (provided they beat India on Tuesday) will sincerely pray for a Black Caps’ win against the hosts.

New Zealand & Australia have same ratings

In the latest ODI rankings, England regained their top position with 123 ratings while India were at second with 122. New Zealand were at No.3 with 113 and so were Australia who were at No.5 before the World Cup had started. South Africa, who were at No.3 while going into the tournament, slumped to No.5 with 109 ratings after a disappointing show. Pakistan were at No.6 with 96 ratings despite the three consecutive wins that brought them back into the reckoning for the last four. The next four slots were occupied by Bangladesh (92 ratings), Sri Lanka (79), West Indies (76) and Afghanistan (60).