The Rankings – do
they really matter
By CAM
Sure they do!! For
some, these rankings are everything – the only indicator of how a team rates in
comparison to the others. And for others, they really don’t tell the whole story.
Slice it any way you like, the fact remains that a team has to be performing
consistently well to be among the top three. Considering the fact that South
Africa, Sri Lanka and India are just within points of each other,
can one emphatically state that any one team is truly superior? Probably not!
As in tennis, where rankings can be decided in just one game, the possibility
of India going up to the #1 test ranking position is simply a matter of how
they perform in the final test of the ongoing series with Sri Lanka.
For you
statisticians, the following is how the teams rank as of now. How close is
that? The top 4 teams within a spread of 6 points!! Mind you, there are several
ongoing test series to change some of this. For example, England can move closer
to the top four with a series win in South Africa. New Zealand and Pakistan can
swap positions. Etc., etc. etc.
|
Team |
Matches |
Points |
Rating |
|
South Africa |
30 |
3672 |
122 |
|
Sri Lanka |
27 |
3248 |
120 |
|
India |
28 |
3327 |
119 |
|
Australia |
31 |
3600 |
116 |
|
England |
39 |
4102 |
105 |
|
Pakistan |
17 |
1424 |
84 |
|
New Zealand |
25 |
2001 |
80 |
|
West Indies |
25 |
1910 |
76 |
|
Bangladesh |
19 |
255 |
13 |
Then there is Australia.
Some would argue that they are still the best team in the world. Win a series
in Australia to prove them otherwise, just like South Africa did not long ago.
There was the time, seems like just yesterday, when Australia reigned supreme
in the rankings – clear of second place team by more than 15 points. What
happened? May be because of the exit of Gilchrist, Hayden, McGrath, and the
likes? Or, the other teams just got better – which is more likely the case.
With all the skills
required for a victory in a test match between two well matched teams, one can
only praise the teams that get to the top of the table and stay there over a
period of time. Kudos to the captains, the coaches, the players, and everyone
else involved in making this happen.
While India could
make it to the top of the table, the South Africa-England test series could
change that, should South Africa walk away with a series win. Whether these
rankings matter or not, millions of Indian fans can’t wait for the conclusion
of the Brabourne test to see India on top of the
table, even if it is just for a brief few weeks…