Top 5 instances of Number 1 ranked Test teams suffering humiliating losses in subsequent series

The ICC Test rankings have always been an enigmatic proposition and there have been times when these rankings have been too lopsided and not do not make any particular sense. But then these rankings are the only parameters to judge the performances of the countries.

Over the years the shallow nature of the ranking system has been thoroughly exposed, as many number one ranked teams have been stripped of their positions by lower ranked teams in a manner which only raises many questions about the worth of such rankings.

Perhaps, the fact that these Teams prepare pitches which suit their strengths at home, but once they embark on overseas tours, they do not find any answers to the alien conditions.

Here in this list, we take a look at 5 such instances when the number 1 ranked team was beaten soundly, and this lost their numero uno status.

#1 India 2011

The Indian team were on top of the world during 2011, as they were the number one ranked team in Tests, and had also won the limited overs World Cup at home. Hence, there were a lot of expectations when the team toured England.

However, the Indian team never got going in the tour and were thrashed 4-0 by the English side, and were outplayed by leaps and bounds in all the matches.

The rout started in the first match at Lords, when Zaheer Khan limped out with a hamstring injury and this was the start of a long horrendous tour for the MS Dhoni-led side.

Barring Rahul Dravid, who scored 3 centuries in the series, no other Indian batsmen could play any innings of substance. The bowlers too were toothless and the English batsmen made merry.

By the end of the series, India had surrendered their number 1 ranking and England were crowned the new number 1 team.

#2 England 2012

The England team looks on after the 3-0 drubbing

If 2011 was the year to remember for the English side, the following year was nothing less than calamitous for them. The number one team toured the dusty United Arab Emirates and were buoyant with belief, but then the Pakistani spinners entered the fray and became just too hot to handle for the English batsmen.

Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman wreaked havoc and tormented the English batsmen right through the 3-match series. Ajmal finished with 24 wickets and the left-arm spinner Rehman accounted for 19 English batsmen.

Both the spinners benefitted greatly from the Decision Review System, and the visitors were almost every time at the receiving end.

Eoin Morgan, in particular, had a horrendous series and finished with a top score of 31 in 17 attempts, and was subsequently dropped for the tour of Sri Lanka.

#3 England 2012

The disastrous year continued for England when they next faced a touring South African side.

It was a horrendous tour for the hosts as they fell away both on and off the field. They ran into Hashim Amla who set the tone of the series with an undefeated 311 and handed England a loss in the first Test at the Oval. And then there was the fallout between mercurial player Kevin Pietersen and the other members of the team.

Andrew Strauss the English captain stepped down after the series and this was the third time in succession when a Graeme Smith-led side accounted for English skippers, after Nasser Hussain in 2003 and Michael Vaughan in 2008.

South Africa were the proud recipients of the ICC mace for being the number 1 team.

#4 South Africa 2016

For long South Africa were the best team in Test cricket, as they were brilliant visitors and performed admirably in foreign conditions.

However, the performance slipped and South Africa did not win any Test match for almost 1 year, and after the Proteas lost 3-0 to India, they went down 2-0 to England in home conditions, and lost their number 1 position in the process.

The home side were clueless against the English bowling and their bowling too could not find answers to a resurgent English side.

Ben Stokes and Stuart Broad were the standout performers in the series and their force was enough to carry England to a 2-0 win.

#5 Australia 2016

Australia have always struggled in Asian conditions, and once again the number 1 team have been humiliated in Sri Lanka, as they have been found wanting against spin and the turning ball has exposed all frailties'.

Australia came into the tournament as clear favourites and they justified this label during the first innings as they bundled out Sri Lanka for 117 runs. However, the Australian batsmen could not take advantage of this situation and they were dismissed for 203 runs.

The Sri Lankans batted way better in their second innings and set Australia a very imposing target of 268 runs on a weary pitch.

Rangana Herath stepped up and accounted for 5 wickets and he was ably supported by debutant Lakshan Sandakan who picked up 3 wickets. The Australians crumbled for 161 runs and Sri Lanka scripted a memorable 106 runs victory.

The second test was even more appalling for the Australians as they were left fumbling for answers on a turning Galle pitch and were shot out in just over 3 days and thus Sri Lanka won the match by a thumping margin of 229 runs.

With this loss, Australia have been stripped of their number one status.