ICC Test Championship
The ICC Test Championship is an international competition run by the International Cricket Council for the 12 teams that play Test cricket. The competition is notional in the sense that it is simply a ranking scheme overlaid on all international matches that are otherwise played as part of regular Test cricket scheduling with no consideration of home or away status.
In essence, after every Test series, the two teams involved receive points based on a mathematical formula. Each team's points total from matches over the last 3−4 years is divided by a figure based on their total number of matches and series played, to give a 'rating'. The teams are ranked by order of rating, which is shown in a table.
A drawn match between higher and lower rated teams will benefit the lower-rated team at the expense of the higher-rated team. An 'average' team that wins as often as it loses, while playing a mix of stronger and weaker teams, will have a rating of 100.
The ICC awards a trophy, the ICC Test Championship mace, to the team holding the highest rating. The mace is transferred whenever a new team moves to the top of the rating list. The team that is top of the ratings table on 1 April each year also wins a cash prize, currently $1 million.
Australia are currently the highest-ranked team in the ICC Test Championship, as per the latest annual ranking update published on 1 May 2020.
Current
Historical rankings
The ICC provides ratings for the end of each month back to June 2003. The teams that have successively held the highest rating since that date, by whole month periods are:The summary of teams that have held the highest rating from June 2003 to the present by whole month periods are:
Since the ICC officially began ranking teams in 2003, Australia had dominated the championship table. However, from 2009, several teams have competed for the top positions.
The ICC retrospectively applied the current rating system to results since 1952. The table only begins then, as prior to 1952 there is insufficient data available due to the infrequency of matches and the small number of competing teams in these earlier periods.
The teams that have successively held the highest rating from January 1952 until May 2003, by whole month periods are:
The summary of teams that have held the highest rating from 1952 to the present by whole month periods are:
Trophy
Since 2001, the top-ranked Test team in the world has been awarded the ICC Test Championship mace. It is worth £30,000. The top-ranked team at the start of April each year is also awarded £750,000.Calculations
Each team scores points based on the results of their matches over the last 3−4 years. A series must include at least two Tests.The rankings table gives the total points from all series played in the 12–24 months since the May before last, plus all the series played in the 24 months before that, for which the matches played and points earned both count half. Each May, the matches and points earned between 3 and 4 years ago are removed, and the matches and points earned between 1 and 2 years ago switch from 100% weighting to 50% weighting. For example, at May 2014, the matches played between May 2010 and May 2011 were removed, and the matches played between May 2012 and May 2013 switched to 50% weighting. This happens overnight, so can result in teams changing positions in the ranking table despite no one playing.
Each time two teams complete another series, the rankings tables is updated as described below, based on the ratings of the teams immediately before they played.
Step 1. Find the series points for each team
- Award 1 point to a team for each match won.
- Award point to a team for each match drawn or tied.
- Award 1 bonus point to the team winning the series.
- Award bonus point to each team if the series is drawn.
Step 2. Convert these series points to actual ratings points
If the gap between the ratings of the two teams before the series was less than 40 points
The ratings points for each team equals:As each match won earns a team 1 series point and their opponent 0, losing earns them 0 series points and their opponent 1, and drawing earns both teams series point, each match played therefore earns teams ratings points as follows:
| Single match result | Ratings points earned |
| Win | Opponent's rating + 50 |
| Draw or tie | Opponent's rating |
| Lose | Opponent's rating − 50 |
As this formula only applies when the gap between the ratings of the two teams at the start of the series was less than 40 points, winning a match will always earn a team more rating points than the rating they already had, and losing a match will always earn a team fewer rating points than the rating they already had. Drawing a match will earn the weaker team more rating points than the rating they already had, and the stronger team fewer.
The difference between winning and losing a single match is therefore 100 points. Also, whether the outcome of a match is a win & lose or a draw, the total rating points earned by the two teams from that match will be the sum of the two teams' ratings before the series began. The total rating points earned from a series will therefore equal the sum of the two teams' ratings before the series began multiplied by.
If the gap between the ratings of the two teams before the series was at least 40 points
The ratings points for the stronger team equals:and the ratings points for the weaker team equals:
As above, each match played therefore earns teams ratings points as follows:
| Single match result | Ratings points earned |
| Stronger team wins | Own rating + 10 |
| Weaker team loses | Own rating − 10 |
| Stronger team draws or ties | Own rating − 40 |
| Weaker team draws or ties | Own rating + 40 |
| Stronger team loses | Own rating − 90 |
| Weaker team wins | Own rating + 90 |
Therefore, again, winning a match will always earn a team more rating points than the rating they already had, and losing a match will always earn a team fewer rating points than the rating they already had. Drawing a match will earn the weaker team more points than the rating they already had, and the stronger team fewer.
For both teams, the difference between winning and losing a single match is still 100 points. Also, whichever of the three outcomes happens, the total rating points earned by the two teams from that match will be the sum of the two teams' ratings before the series began.
Step 3. Update the ranking table
For each team:- Add the ratings points scored to their total ratings points already scored.
- Update the number of matches played by adding the number of Series points available. This is one more than the number of games in the series, as there is an additional point available for the series winner.
- Divide the new rating points total by the updated number of matches to get the updated Rating.
Example
- The total Ratings points available from the series is the same as the initial ratings of the teams multiplied by the number of Series points available.
- The two teams' total ratings is almost exactly the same after the series as before the series. The series has therefore not generated any extra ratings, but has just redistributed the ratings the two teams already had. When these ratings are published in the official table in their rounded form, the total ratings after the series will be exactly the same as before the series. There is therefore no points 'inflation' in this system, which means that comparisons of ratings over time are meaningful.
- Despite winning the series, Team A's rating has reduced, and despite losing the series, Team B's rating has increased. If Team A had won the series 3-0 then its rating would have increased to 122.4.