ICC Test Rankings: Explaining possible scenarios in fight for No.1 spot

Sri Lanka’s 2-0 lead over Australia in the three-Test series has thrown up a number of permutations with Australia, India, Pakistan and England all in with a chance to finish the month as the number-one ranked Test side on the MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings.

India can overtake Australia if they win the Test series against West Indies by a 3-0 margin, but even a series win of 2-0 is enough for the Virat Kohli-led side to overtake Australia if the Baggy Greens lose their final Test against Sri Lanka.

England and Pakistan can also go the top of the ICC Rankings depending on the result of their series if India fail to beat the West Indies by a 3-0 margin.

The following are the various scenarios:

Sri Lanka v Australia

• If Sri Lanka beat Australia 2-1, then Australia will finish on 111
• If Sri Lanka beat Australia 2-0, then Australia will finish on 110
• If Sri Lanka beat Australia 3-0, then Australia will finish on 108

West Indies v India

• India beat West Indies 2-0, then India will finish on 110
• India beat West Indies 3-0, then India will finish on 112
• India beat West Indies 2-1, then India will finish on 108

England v Pakistan

• England beat Pakistan 2-1, then England will finish on 110
• England beat Pakistan 3-1, then England will finish on 112
• England-Pakistan series ends in 2-all, then Pakistan will finish on 111

• ---

  - If Sri Lanka beat Australia 2-1, England-Pakistan series ends two-all and India beat West Indies by 2-0, then Australia and Pakistan will be on 111 points each but Australia will be ranked first

- If Sri Lanka beat Australia 2-0, England beats Pakistan 2-1 and India beat West Indies 2-0, then Australia, England and India will be on 110 points each but England will be ranked first, followed by India and Australia

- If England beat Pakistan 3-1 and India beat West Indies 3-0, then both England and India will be on 112 points each but India will be ranked first

- If England-Pakistan series ends in two-all, Sri Lanka beat Australia by 3-0 or 2-0 and India beat West Indies by 2-1or 2-0, then Pakistan will become number-one ranked side