England secure third spot in test table

England's draw in the final Test in the West Indies was good enough to lift it to third in the ICC Test Championship table for the first time this year.

The 3-0 series win boosted England's rating from 101 to 103, enabling it to leapfrog Pakistan in the official table.

Unless Pakistan can pull off a dramatic win in its final home Test against India, England will be assured of third spot at least until the completion of its home series against New Zealand.

If Pakistan holds on for a draw in the current Test in Rawalpindi its rating will remain on 102 - the same as it was before the historic series against India began in Multan on 28 March.

If Pakistan loses the match it will fall behind India in the official table for the first time since August 2003. Pakistan's rating will slide to 99 while India will climb to fourth place with a rating of 102.

India has never had a rating above 100 since the new system of calculation was introduced in July 2003 and has never been as high as fourth in the official table dating back to its introduction in May 2001.

The ICC Test Championship table correct on 15 April 2004

Note: If ratings are equal, the ratings calculation is refined to three decimal places to determine the higher ranked team.

Full scenarios for Pakistan v India Test series:

The official Test table is updated at the end of each series once the final outcome of the series is known. The winning team from a Test series receives bonus points equivalent to one additional match victory.

The impact future results will have on the ratings is available on the ICC website. For a full explanation of how the ratings are calculated, visit www.icc.cricket.org.

For further information: