Shuffling of the pack could be on the cards
This is due to the fact that four sides are bunched together in the middle of the table with just three points separating New Zealand from seventh-ranked Sri Lanka.
The Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings predictor function is availablehere. The Test rankings table, unlike the ODI & T20I tables, is updated after the series.
Meanwhile, in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen, New Zealand’s Kane Williamson and England’s Joe Root will be aiming to break into the top five.
Williamson is currently sitting in sixth spot, two points behind Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews, while Root is eighth, another 17 points behind.
Other batsmen from either side aiming for upward movements include Ross Taylor (13th), Brendon McCullum (15th), Gary Ballance (20th), Alastair Cook (24th), Ian Bell (31st), BJ Watling (40th) and Tom Latham (51st).
In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers, England’s James Anderson, in second position, is the highest-ranked bowler from either side. The Lancastrian will aim to consolidate his position, which, in turn, will help him to narrow the gap with number-one ranked Dale Steyn.
Stuart Broad is the other England bowler inside the top 10 in eighth position, while New Zealand also has two fast bowlers in Trent Boult (sixth) and Tim Southee (ninth) who feature in that top 10 list.
Broad is England’s highest-ranked all-rounder, sitting in fifth position, while Southee is New Zealand’s best all-rounder in 10th spot.
Schedule:
21-25 May – 1st Test, Lord’s
29 May-2 June – 2nd Test, Leeds
RELIANCE ICC TEST RANKINGS (as on 19 May, before the start of England-New Zealand series)
Rank Team Points
1 South Africa 130
2 Australia 108
3 New Zealand 99
4 India 99
5 England 97
6 Pakistan 97
7 Sri Lanka 96
8 West Indies 84
9 Bangladesh 39
10 Zimbabwe 5
(Developed by David Kendix)
Reliance ICC Test Player Rankings (as on 19 May, before the start of England-New Zealand series)
Batsmen (top 10)
Rank Player Team Points Avge Highest Ranking
1 K. Sangakkara SL 909 58.66 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
2 AB de Villiers SA 908 52.09 935 v Aus at Port Elizabeth 2014
3 Hashim Amla SA 891 52.78 907 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2013
4 Steven Smith Aus 873! 52.36 873 v Ind at Sydney 2015
5 Angelo Mathews SL 841 51.50 877 v NZ at Christchurch 2014
6 Kane Williamson NZ 839! 45.96 839 v SL at Wellington 2015
7 Younus Khan Pak 836 53.75 880 v SL at Lahore 2009
8 Joe Root Eng 824 55.00 865 v WI at St George's 2015
9 David Warner Aus 805 48.20 880 v Ind at Adelaide 2014
10 Virat Kohli Ind 774 46.30 784 v NZ at Wellington 2014
Selected rankings
Rank Player Team Points Avge Highest Ranking
13 Ross Taylor NZ 741 45.40 871 v WI at Hamilton 2013
15 B. McCullum NZ 728 38.87 760 v SL at Christchurch 2014
20 Gary Ballance Eng 678* 62.35 702 v WI at St George's 2015
24 Alastair Cook Eng 651 46.22 874 v Ind at Kolkata 2012
31 Ian Bell Eng 624 44.57 822 v Ind at The Oval 2011
40 BJ Watling NZ 563 37.57 574 v WI at Port-of-Spain 2014
51 Tom Latham NZ 493* 40.23 569 v Pak at Dubai 2014
Bowlers (top 10)
Rank Player Team Points Avge Highest Ranking
1 Dale Steyn SA 905 22.55 909 v WI at Centurion 2014
2 James Anderson Eng 847! 29.22 847 v WI at Bridgetown 2015
3 Ryan Harris Aus 826 23.52 870 v SA at Cape Town 2014
4 Rangana Herath SL 807 29.57 851 v Pak at Colombo (SSC) 2014
5 Mitchell Johnson Aus 804 27.84 849 v Pak at Dubai 2014
6 Trent Boult NZ 795 27.39 805 v SL at Christchurch 2014
7 Vernon Philander SA 780 21.95 912 v Ind at Johannesburg 2013
8 Stuart Broad Eng 761 29.97 783 v WI at Lord's 2012
9 Tim Southee NZ 743 30.61 799 v WI at Kingston 2014
10 Morne Morkel SA 727 29.35 776 v Aus at Cape Town 2011
Selected rankings
Rank Player Team Points Avge Highest Ranking
21 Neil Wagner NZ 537* 34.48 549 v WI at Bridgetown 2014
38 Doug Bracewell NZ 409* 35.10 538 v WI at Kingston 2012
49 Mark Craig NZ 349*! 39.58 349 v SL at Wellington 2015
All-rounders (top three)
Rank Player Team Points Highest Ranking
1 Shakib Al Hasan Ban 380 419 v Zim at Khulna 2014
2 Vernon Philander SA 341*/ 376 v Aus at Cape Town 2014
3 R. Ashwin Ind 318*/ 419 v WI at Mumbai 2013
*indicates provisional rating; a batsman qualifies for a full rating after playing 40 Test innings; a bowler qualifies for a full rating when he reaches 100 Test wickets.
!indicates career-highest rating
For more information, go to www.relianceiccrankings.com.