Rankings

Cricket rankings are ordered lists of teams and players, built from rating points that reward recent performance and the quality of the opposition.

The ICC publishes separate team rankings for Tests, ODIs and T20Is, and player rankings for batting, bowling and all-round play in each format. A team's rating is the average of the points it has earned from recent matches and series, with older results weighted down and eventually dropped. Points depend on the result and on the gap between the two sides: beating a team ranked far above you is worth a lot, losing to one far below costs a lot, and beating a minnow barely moves the needle. Player ratings work the same way, from runs, wickets, the state of the match and who they were made against, so a hundred against a strong attack in a losing cause can still push a batter up the list.

For a national coach the rankings are a report card and a target. Boards care about them, tournament seedings depend on them, and a strong run on tour can lift a side several places in a season.

In Masterstroke: world rankings move with every innings, with separate T20I, ODI and Test tables for batting, bowling and all-rounders. Beat a stronger side and you climb faster.