Pakistan jump to No.3 in ICC Test rankings

Misbah ul Haq's Pakistan created history by winning a series against Australia after 20 years. The cherry on top was that the win also had a direct impact on the ICC Test cricket rankings.

Pakistan have moved up to the No 3 spot in the ICC Test rankings behind South Africa and Australia. They were in the 6th position before the start of the match. Australia retain the second spot in the ICC rankings but lost 6 rating points because of the loss. Pakistan gained 7 rating points thanks to their historic win.

The ICC Test rankings have an added weightage because the nations finishing in the top four stand to benefit financially from the ICC. The cut-off date every year is April 1 but with the ICC World Cup scheduled for 2015, the cut-off date will be January 7.

The top ranked side as of January 7, 2015 will gain USD 500,000, the second placed side will get USD 390,000, while the sides finishing third and fourth will receive USD 280,000 and USD 170,000 respectively.

The current ICC Test rankings are as follows:

1. South Africa - 124 points

2. Australia - 117 points

3. Pakistan - 105 points

4. England - 104 points

5. Sri Lanka - 101 points

6. India - 96 points

7. New Zealand - 93 points

8. West Indies - 75 points

9. Zimbabwe - 39 points

10. Bangladesh - 19 points