New Zealand dethrone England as number one ODI side; India slip to third
After creating history in January by becoming the No. 1 Test side in the world, New Zealand have now reached the top of the ODI rankings, dethroning reigning champions England in the latest update. Englandâs 2-1 loss has seen them slip to fourth, while India themselves are down to third spot.
A special 2021 for the New Zealand cricket team has gotten even better as the Kiwis have officially displaced Eoin Morganâs England as the number one ranked ODI side in the world. In the absence of skipper Kane Williamson, Tom Latham led New Zealand to a 3-0 series win over Bangladesh in March, and the whitewash coupled with Englandâs slip up against India has seen the Kiwis surge to the top of the ODI rankings.Â
Despite the series win over England, though, the Virat Kohli-led Indian side have slipped one spot to third position. India beat a visiting English side 2-1 at home, but, despite the result, Aaron Finchâs Australia have leapfrogged the Men in Blue to secure the second spot in the rankings. The latest update has left Australia with 118 rating points, while they are followed by India (115) and England (115) respectively. New Zealand are clear of all three teams below them and are first with 120 rating points to their name.Â
South Africa (107) are fifth and are the only other side to have more than 100 rating points, while they are followed by Pakistan (97), Bangladesh (90) and West Indies (82). Sri Lanka, who were recently whitewashed by the Windies, find themselves reeling at 9th spot, with just 79 rating points to their name.
âThese updates eliminate results from 2017-18 and halve the weighting of matches played in 2019-20 which includes the 2019 World Cup,â the ICC stated in a release.