England up to third in the Test Championship table

[Donny]

England up to third in the Test Championship table

Wisden Cricinfo staff

It might have only been Bangladesh, but England's 2-0 series win has pushed them up one place to third in the official ICC Test Championship table. It is the first time since November 2001 that they have reached such heights.

But they only just made it. New Zealand, who recently drew 0-0 with India, are level on points with England. However, when the rating points are equal, the calculations are refined to three decimal places, and the table's equivalent of Duckworth-Lewis ruled in England's favour - so it's pretty close. And with a tough series against Sri Lanka later this month, it's debatable how much longer England will stay there.

Elsewhere, West Indies need to win both matches in their series against Zimbabwe, which starts tomorrow, in order to strengthen their eighth position. A 2-0 victory would close the gap on Sri Lanka, who are currently eight points ahead, to only six points. However, a 1-0 win wouldn't improve their points total. For Zimbabwe, winning both Tests will not be enough for them to catch West Indies, but it will close the gap between the two teams to 12 points.

The other change was Pakistan's jump to fifth spot. After their 1-0 win over South Africa last month they have gone ahead of India for the first time since July 2002.