Top world stars from England and Australia braced to battle in Cardiff opener
The latest instalment in the Ashes rivalry between England and Australia starts in Cardiff on Wednesday as the two sides bid to hold possession of the prestigious Urn in what is expected to be a keenly-contested and hard-fought five-Test series.
England is currently sitting in fifth place on 97 ratings points, trailing India and ahead of Pakistan by a fraction of a point, while Australia is in second spot on 111 ratings points. This means England has an opportunity to move to as high as second if it wins the series by 3-0 or better, but will drop to as low as seventh if Australia wins all five Tests.
The latest instalment in the Ashes rivalry between England and Australia starts in Cardiff on Wednesday as the two sides bid to hold possession of the prestigious Urn in what is expected to be a keenly-contested and hard-fought five-Test series.
England is currently sitting in fifth place on 97 ratings points, trailing India and ahead of Pakistan by a fraction of a point, while Australia is in second spot on 111 ratings points. This means England has an opportunity to move to as high as second if it wins the series by 3-0 or better, but will drop to as low as seventh if Australia wins all five Tests.
In contrast, Australia will jump to 118 points to reduce the gap with number-one ranked South Africa to 12 points but will drop to fourth if England wins all the five Tests and irrespective of how the Pallekele Test ends. In fact, a 3-0 or 4-1 result in the favour of England will mean Australia will drop behind England in third position.
The following are the permutations for the forthcoming Ashes series:
England (97 pts) v Australia (111 pts)
· If Eng wins 5-0, then Aus 99 pts, Eng 108 pts
· If Eng wins 4-1, then Aus 102 pts, Eng 105 pts
· If Eng wins 3-2, then Aus 106 pts, Eng 102 pts
· If Aus wins 5-0, then Eng 91 pts, Aus 118 pts
· If Aus wins 4-1, then Eng 94 pts, Aus 115 pts
· If Aus wins 3-2, then Eng 97 pts, Aus 112 pts
· If the series is drawn 2-2, then Eng 100 pts, Aus 109 pts
To find out exactly how the forthcoming series will affect the rankings table, please click here. The Test rankings table, unlike the ODI & T20I tables, is updated after the series.
The clash in the Welsh capital will be the 321st Test which dates back to 1882. Australia has won 128 matches compared to England’s 103, with 89 draws to date.
Though Australia secured a five-nil clean sweep last time out, recent form would indicate that triumph favours the home side as England has won four of the last six Ashes, including the last three consecutive home series (in 2005, 2009 and 2013). Australia last won on English soil back in 2001 (4-1).
ICC Test Player Rankings
Australia vice-captain Steven Smith will defend his number-one ranking in the ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen as he holds a five-point advantage over South Africa’s AB de Villiers. Smith had leapfrogged de Villiers following the Jamaica Test against the West Indies but his failure to produce another strong performance in Cardiff will potentially see the South African return to the top of the charts.
Smith is joined in the top 10 by ninth-placed David Warner, who holds a two-point lead over India captain Virat Kohli. Joe Root is England’s highest-ranked batsman in sixth place and his next innings will be his 50th in Test cricket. The Yorkshireman has played in 27 Tests to date and has accumulated 2,273 runs at an average of 54.11.
Michael Clarke, in 13th place, has featured in 30 Ashes Tests to date since making his debut in the 2005 series, incidentally the most on either side, and his tally of 2,109 runs includes seven centuries and seven half-centuries. Clarke is three places ahead of his opposite number Alastair Cook who will be looking to reduce the New South Wales man’s 11-point advantage in the rankings.
The next highest-ranked batsmen from either side, who are likely to feature in the series, are: Chris Rogers (23rd), Gary Ballance (32nd), Ian Bell (34th), Shane Watson (43rd), Ben Stokes (44th) and Jos Buttler (50th).
In the ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers, second-ranked James Anderson is the highest wicket-taker in English history (403 to date) and the leading bowler heading into the series on 824 points. Anderson is 10 points clear of New Zealand’s Trent Boult, but will have some work to do to reduce Dale Steyn’s commanding lead.
Following Ryan Harris’ retirement, fifth-placed Mitchell Johnson is Australia’s leading bowler on 803 points, 21 points ahead of Stuart Broad who is sitting in sixth position. Australia duo of Peter Siddle (15th) and Nathan Lyon (17th) are the other bowlers inside the top 20.
The next highest-ranked bowlers in the series on either side are Mitchell Starc (21st), Josh Hazlewood (28th) and Shane Watson and Moeen Ali, who are tied for 38th position.
Johnson, in fourth spot, is the leading all-rounder on either side in the ICC Player Rankings for Test All-rounders heading into the five-match series and he goes into the series with a 16-point advantage over Broad, who is fifth.
Upcoming Test fixtures
England v Australia
8-12 Jul – 1st Test, Cardiff
16-20 Jul – 2nd Test, Lord’s
29 Jul-2 Aug – 3rd Test, Edgbaston
6-10 Aug – 4th Test, Trent Bridge
20-24 Aug – 5th Test, The Oval
ICC Test Team Rankings (as on 6 July, ahead of England-Australia Test series and before the conclusion of Sri Lanka-Pakistan Test series)
1. South Africa 130
2. Australia 111
3. New Zealand 99
4. India 97
5. England 97
6. Pakistan 97
7. Sri Lanka 96
8. West Indies 81
9. Bangladesh 41
10. Zimbabwe 5
(Developed by David Kendix)
ICC Test Player Rankings (as on 6 July, ahead of England-Australia Test series and before the conclusion of Sri Lanka-Pakistan Test series)
Batsmen
Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
1 Steven Smith Aus 913! 56.23 913 v WI at Jamaica 2015
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 K. Sangakkara SL 883 58.04 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
5 Angelo Mathews SL 847 51.33 877 v NZ at Christchurch 2014
6 Joe Root Eng 815 54.11 872 v NZ at Lord's 2015
7 K. Williamson NZ 813 45.70 860 v Eng at Lord's 2015
8 Younus Khan Pak 808 53.33 880 v SL at Lahore 2009
9 David Warner Aus 757 46.82 880 v Ind at Adelaide 2014
10 Virat Kohli Ind 755 45.73 784 v NZ at Wellington 2014
Selected Rankings
Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
13 Michael Clarke Aus 726 50.66 900 v SL at Melbourne 2012
16 Alastair Cook Eng 715 46.87 874 v Ind at Kolkata 2012
23 Chris Rogers Aus 664* 39.35 694 v Eng at Sydney 2014
32 Gary Ballance Eng 591* 52.19 702 v WI at Grenada 2015
34 Ian Bell Eng 578 43.77 822 v Ind at The Oval 2011
43 Shane Watson Aus 525 35.40 729 v Eng at Perth 2010
44 Ben Stokes Eng 524* 34.15 540 v NZ at Lord's 2015
50 Jos Buttler Eng 494*! 52.66 494 v NZ at Headingley 2015
53 Brad Haddin Aus 478 33.37 637 v WI at Perth 2009
54 Shaun Marsh Aus 472*! 35.79 472 v WI at Jamaica 2015
60 Adam Voges Aus 441*! 167.00 441 v WI at Jamaica 2015
82 M. Johnson Aus 352 22.80 477 v Eng at Lord's 2009
84 Moeen Ali Eng 346* 28.50 385 v NZ at Lord's 2015
85 Stuart Broad Eng 341 23.08 505 v Ind at The Oval 2011
89 Adam Lyth Eng 323*! 37.50 323 v NZ at Headingley 2015
91 Mitchell Starc Aus 314* 27.27 368 v Eng at The Oval 2013
95 Mitchell Marsh Aus 291* 37.42 322 v Ind at Adelaide 2014
Bowlers
Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
1 Dale Steyn SA 905 22.55 909 v WI at Centurion 2014
2 James Anderson Eng 824 29.42 847 v WI at Barbados 2015
3 Trent Boult NZ 814 27.12 825 v Eng at Lord's 2015
4 Ryan Harris Aus 810 23.52 870 v SA at Cape Town 2014
5 M. Johnson Aus 803 27.58 849 v Pak at Dubai 2014
6 Stuart Broad Eng 782 29.77 783 v WI at Lord's 2012
7 V. Philander SA 780 21.95 912 v Ind at Johannesburg 2013
8 Rangana Herath SL 760 30.17 851 v Pak at Colombo (SSC) 2014
9 Yasir Shah Pak 750*! 25.11 750 v SL at Colombo (PSS) 2015
10 Morne Morkel SA 727 29.35 776 v Aus at Cape Town 2011
Selected Rankings
Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
15 Peter Siddle Aus 634 30.45 816 v Eng at Old Trafford 2013
17 Nathan Lyon Aus 595 34.73 648 v Eng at Melbourne 2013
21 Mitchell Starc Aus 545*! 32.20 545 v WI at Jamaica 2015
28 Josh Hazlewood Aus 506*! 19.08 506 v WI at Jamaica 2015
38= Shane Watson Aus 413* 33.05 633 v SA at Cape Town 2011
Moeen Ali Eng 413* 32.60 458 v NZ at Lord's 2015
56 Ben Stokes Eng 304* 43.24 352 v Ind at Lord's 2014
67 Mark Wood Eng 261*! 33.22 261 v NZ at Headingley 2015
92 Steven Smith Aus 143* 51.73 181 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2014
95 Joe Root Eng 123* 45.25 140 v NZ at Lord's 2015
97 Michael Clarke Aus 122* 38.19 265 v NZ at Wellington 2005
All-rounders
Rank Player Team Points HS Rating
1 Shakib Al Hasan Ban 381 419 v Zim at Khulna 2014
2 V. Philander SA 341*/ 376 v Aus at Cape Town 2014
3 R. Ashwin Ind 336*/ 419 v WI at Mumbai 2013
4 M. Johnson Aus 283 384 v Eng at Cardiff 2009
5 Stuart Broad Eng 267 382 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2012
*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
The following are the permutations for the forthcoming Ashes series:
England (97 pts) v Australia (111 pts)
· If Eng wins 5-0, then Aus 99 pts, Eng 108 pts
· If Eng wins 4-1, then Aus 102 pts, Eng 105 pts
· If Eng wins 3-2, then Aus 106 pts, Eng 102 pts
· If Aus wins 5-0, then Eng 91 pts, Aus 118 pts
· If Aus wins 4-1, then Eng 94 pts, Aus 115 pts
· If Aus wins 3-2, then Eng 97 pts, Aus 112 pts
· If the series is drawn 2-2, then Eng 100 pts, Aus 109 pts
To find out exactly how the forthcoming series will affect the rankings table, please click here. The Test rankings table, unlike the ODI & T20I tables, is updated after the series.
The clash in the Welsh capital will be the 321st Test which dates back to 1882. Australia has won 128 matches compared to England’s 103, with 89 draws to date.
Though Australia secured a five-nil clean sweep last time out, recent form would indicate that triumph favours the home side as England has won four of the last six Ashes, including the last three consecutive home series (in 2005, 2009 and 2013). Australia last won on English soil back in 2001 (4-1).
ICC Test Player Rankings
Australia vice-captain Steven Smith will defend his number-one ranking in the ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen as he holds a five-point advantage over South Africa’s AB de Villiers. Smith had leapfrogged de Villiers following the Jamaica Test against the West Indies but his failure to produce another strong performance in Cardiff will potentially see the South African return to the top of the charts.
Smith is joined in the top 10 by ninth-placed David Warner, who holds a two-point lead over India captain Virat Kohli. Joe Root is England’s highest-ranked batsman in sixth place and his next innings will be his 50th in Test cricket. The Yorkshireman has played in 27 Tests to date and has accumulated 2,273 runs at an average of 54.11.
Michael Clarke, in 13th place, has featured in 30 Ashes Tests to date since making his debut in the 2005 series, incidentally the most on either side, and his tally of 2,109 runs includes seven centuries and seven half-centuries. Clarke is three places ahead of his opposite number Alastair Cook who will be looking to reduce the New South Wales man’s 11-point advantage in the rankings.
The next highest-ranked batsmen from either side, who are likely to feature in the series, are: Chris Rogers (23rd), Gary Ballance (32nd), Ian Bell (34th), Shane Watson (43rd), Ben Stokes (44th) and Jos Buttler (50th).
In the ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers, second-ranked James Anderson is the highest wicket-taker in English history (403 to date) and the leading bowler heading into the series on 824 points. Anderson is 10 points clear of New Zealand’s Trent Boult, but will have some work to do to reduce Dale Steyn’s commanding lead.
Following Ryan Harris’ retirement, fifth-placed Mitchell Johnson is Australia’s leading bowler on 803 points, 21 points ahead of Stuart Broad who is sitting in sixth position. Australia duo of Peter Siddle (15th) and Nathan Lyon (17th) are the other bowlers inside the top 20.
The next highest-ranked bowlers in the series on either side are Mitchell Starc (21st), Josh Hazlewood (28th) and Shane Watson and Moeen Ali, who are tied for 38th position.
Johnson, in fourth spot, is the leading all-rounder on either side in the ICC Player Rankings for Test All-rounders heading into the five-match series and he goes into the series with a 16-point advantage over Broad, who is fifth.
Upcoming Test fixtures
England v Australia
8-12 Jul – 1st Test, Cardiff
16-20 Jul – 2nd Test, Lord’s
29 Jul-2 Aug – 3rd Test, Edgbaston
6-10 Aug – 4th Test, Trent Bridge
20-24 Aug – 5th Test, The Oval
ICC Test Team Rankings (as on 6 July, ahead of England-Australia Test series and before the conclusion of Sri Lanka-Pakistan Test series)
1. South Africa 130
2. Australia 111
3. New Zealand 99
4. India 97
5. England 97
6. Pakistan 97
7. Sri Lanka 96
8. West Indies 81
9. Bangladesh 41
10. Zimbabwe 5
(Developed by David Kendix)
ICC Test Player Rankings (as on 6 July, ahead of England-Australia Test series and before the conclusion of Sri Lanka-Pakistan Test series)
Batsmen
Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
1 Steven Smith Aus 913! 56.23 913 v WI at Jamaica 2015
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 K. Sangakkara SL 883 58.04 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
5 Angelo Mathews SL 847 51.33 877 v NZ at Christchurch 2014
6 Joe Root Eng 815 54.11 872 v NZ at Lord's 2015
7 K. Williamson NZ 813 45.70 860 v Eng at Lord's 2015
8 Younus Khan Pak 808 53.33 880 v SL at Lahore 2009
9 David Warner Aus 757 46.82 880 v Ind at Adelaide 2014
10 Virat Kohli Ind 755 45.73 784 v NZ at Wellington 2014
Selected Rankings
Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
13 Michael Clarke Aus 726 50.66 900 v SL at Melbourne 2012
16 Alastair Cook Eng 715 46.87 874 v Ind at Kolkata 2012
23 Chris Rogers Aus 664* 39.35 694 v Eng at Sydney 2014
32 Gary Ballance Eng 591* 52.19 702 v WI at Grenada 2015
34 Ian Bell Eng 578 43.77 822 v Ind at The Oval 2011
43 Shane Watson Aus 525 35.40 729 v Eng at Perth 2010
44 Ben Stokes Eng 524* 34.15 540 v NZ at Lord's 2015
50 Jos Buttler Eng 494*! 52.66 494 v NZ at Headingley 2015
53 Brad Haddin Aus 478 33.37 637 v WI at Perth 2009
54 Shaun Marsh Aus 472*! 35.79 472 v WI at Jamaica 2015
60 Adam Voges Aus 441*! 167.00 441 v WI at Jamaica 2015
82 M. Johnson Aus 352 22.80 477 v Eng at Lord's 2009
84 Moeen Ali Eng 346* 28.50 385 v NZ at Lord's 2015
85 Stuart Broad Eng 341 23.08 505 v Ind at The Oval 2011
89 Adam Lyth Eng 323*! 37.50 323 v NZ at Headingley 2015
91 Mitchell Starc Aus 314* 27.27 368 v Eng at The Oval 2013
95 Mitchell Marsh Aus 291* 37.42 322 v Ind at Adelaide 2014
Bowlers
Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
1 Dale Steyn SA 905 22.55 909 v WI at Centurion 2014
2 James Anderson Eng 824 29.42 847 v WI at Barbados 2015
3 Trent Boult NZ 814 27.12 825 v Eng at Lord's 2015
4 Ryan Harris Aus 810 23.52 870 v SA at Cape Town 2014
5 M. Johnson Aus 803 27.58 849 v Pak at Dubai 2014
6 Stuart Broad Eng 782 29.77 783 v WI at Lord's 2012
7 V. Philander SA 780 21.95 912 v Ind at Johannesburg 2013
8 Rangana Herath SL 760 30.17 851 v Pak at Colombo (SSC) 2014
9 Yasir Shah Pak 750*! 25.11 750 v SL at Colombo (PSS) 2015
10 Morne Morkel SA 727 29.35 776 v Aus at Cape Town 2011
Selected Rankings
Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
15 Peter Siddle Aus 634 30.45 816 v Eng at Old Trafford 2013
17 Nathan Lyon Aus 595 34.73 648 v Eng at Melbourne 2013
21 Mitchell Starc Aus 545*! 32.20 545 v WI at Jamaica 2015
28 Josh Hazlewood Aus 506*! 19.08 506 v WI at Jamaica 2015
38= Shane Watson Aus 413* 33.05 633 v SA at Cape Town 2011
Moeen Ali Eng 413* 32.60 458 v NZ at Lord's 2015
56 Ben Stokes Eng 304* 43.24 352 v Ind at Lord's 2014
67 Mark Wood Eng 261*! 33.22 261 v NZ at Headingley 2015
92 Steven Smith Aus 143* 51.73 181 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2014
95 Joe Root Eng 123* 45.25 140 v NZ at Lord's 2015
97 Michael Clarke Aus 122* 38.19 265 v NZ at Wellington 2005
All-rounders
Rank Player Team Points HS Rating
1 Shakib Al Hasan Ban 381 419 v Zim at Khulna 2014
2 V. Philander SA 341*/ 376 v Aus at Cape Town 2014
3 R. Ashwin Ind 336*/ 419 v WI at Mumbai 2013
4 M. Johnson Aus 283 384 v Eng at Cardiff 2009
5 Stuart Broad Eng 267 382 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2012
*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
By: Editor
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