Bangladesh gain, Australia fall in the Test rankings

After turning the tables in the One-Day International format, the Bangladesh Tigers are all set to go for the same in the longer form of the game as well. As they levelled the series against a higher ranked Australian side, they have gained 5 rating points in the ICC Test Rankings and are just a point away from West Indies who are at the 8th position.

History was recreated at the Dhaka stadium as Bangladesh recorded their first ever Test victory against Australia. No one even in the wildest dreams would’ve imagined that the Aussie would suffer that fate against a team they’ve never lost before against but the stupendous performance from the hosts made the visitors look like just another team. Bangladesh fought hard and won the first game by a margin of 20 runs.

However, the Australian team made sure that it didn’t turn into a series defeat with a victory in the final game at Chittagong. This came as a superb fightback from Steve Smith & Co. who were already one down in the series. But the series ending at levels didn’t help their cause as Australia fell down a position from No.4 to No.5 below the Kiwis in the rankings table. The hosts on the other hands sprung from 69 points to 74 points and are now just one point away from attaining the 8th rank.

It’s in the decimals

The Australians now stand at 97 rating points, square with the New Zealanders, who lead them due to the edge in decimal points. Australia began the series at 100 rating points and needed to win the series 1-0 or better to maintain their position among the Test teams.

As for Bangladesh, they have a realistic chance to break into the top 8 rankings for the first time in the history of Tests. There’s always been a real time gap between the top 8 teams and others which has been currently narrowed, thanks to some strong performances by Bangladesh in recent times. However, if West Indies win against England, the gap might widen again.