Although Australia experienced a heavy defeat to South Africa in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s, they have successfully maintained their position as the top-ranked team in the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings.

Aiden Markram’s exceptional performance, along with Kagiso Rabada’s nine-wicket haul, played a major role in securing the Proteas’ victory. Alongside these outstanding individual displays, Temba Bavuma’s leadership and contributions proved pivotal, helping South Africa claim their first ICC title in 27 years.

On the other hand, South Africa, having triumphed in the WTC final, has climbed to second place in the rankings, earning 114 rating points from 22 matches.

Their victory over the top-ranked team led to a valuable increase in their points, allowing them to surpass England. Notably, defeating the highest-ranked side gives the winner the greatest points weightage, and South Africa earned an additional three rating points as a result of their historic win.

South Africa will take on Zimbabwe in a two-match Test series, which kicks off on June 28.

Meanwhile, Australia are set to embark on a three-match Test series against the West Indies, beginning on June 25. India remain in fourth place in the rankings, despite a whitewash against New Zealand at home and a loss to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. With Shubman Gill now taking over as captain and the retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, India are entering a new era.

The 2025-2027 WTC cycle begins with England welcoming India for a five-match series, set to start on June 20.

Both teams will be keen to start the new cycle on a positive note and make early strides towards the next WTC final.