'Let's not take the ICC rankings too seriously'
Paul Newman may have played a part in getting the concept of rankings for Test cricket off the ground 18 years ago but he doesn't feel the current system gives an accurate reflection of where teams actually stand
Siddhartha Talya
25-Feb-2013
Paul Newman may have played a part in getting the concept of rankings for Test cricket off the ground 18 years ago but he doesn't feel the current system gives an accurate reflection of where teams actually stand. Read more in the Independent on Sunday.
Today's ICC Reliance Test Championship uses a ratings system developed by David Kendix, an actuary and cricket scorer. It is based on some complex calculations, though the basics are not dissimilar to the system that originated from Independent Towers, with results covering a rolling four-year period and taking into account the number of matches and series played.
The current table shows India in the lead, ahead of South Africa and England. However, while India are widely recognised as the world's best one-day side (even if, ironically enough, they lie third in the official ICC one-day rankings behind Australia and Sri Lanka), you might struggle to find neutral observers who regard them as the best Test team.
Siddhartha Talya is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo