Southampton: T20 World Cup champions England have surged to the top of the ICC’s latest Men’s T20 Team Rankings, with India at the top after winning the T20 World Cup series on home soil.
The Three Lions took the No.1 spot with a dominating 4-0 T20I series win over India. A 2-0 series defeat to Ireland at the end of last month saw the Men in Blue drop to second place.
England’s rise to the No.1 spot in February 2022 ended India’s streak of more than 1,600 days at the top of the rankings.
Australia was ranked third, followed by New Zealand, South Africa and Pakistan fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.
England sealed the series in style during the fifth T20I at Southampton, where Harry Brook and captain Jos Buttler put on 233 runs for the second wicket to demolish India’s bowling.
Brooke scored a brilliant century while Buttler remained unbeaten on 95, registering the fastest T20I half-century of his international career.
Ahead of the series finale, Buttler identified regaining the No.1 ranking as England’s primary objective, and his team achieved that goal with an authoritative display.
The series began with the opening match at Chester-le-Street abandoned due to rain. However, England dominated the remaining four matches, chasing down a target of 159 in just 13.4 overs in Bristol before inflicting India’s heaviest defeat in T20I cricket in Nottingham.
India’s tough run continued in the shorter format led by Shreyas Iyer.
They are yet to register a win since winning the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title in Ahmedabad in February, with back-to-back defeats against Ireland and England leaving them out of the No.1 ranking.