England overtake India to reach No.1 in ICC ODI rankings

England have displaced India on top of the International Cricket Council’s ODI rankings after the governing body’s annual update shook up each side’s points tally.

Eoin Morgan’s team have climbed to No.1 for the first time since January 2013, further underlining their status as favourites for the 2019 World Cup on home soil.

England's rise comes after the 2014-15 season was dropped from the points calculations in the annual update, a period of time that saw England win just seven out of 25 ODIs.

They gained eight points as a result to sit on 125, while India lost one point and now sit in second position on 122 points.

South Africa have dropped to third place after losing four points, sitting on 113, one point ahead of fourth-ranked New Zealand.

Australia remain in fifth spot on the table on 104 points, a position they’ll have an opportunity to improve upon when they travel to the United Kingdom to play England in June.

They are just two points ahead of sixth-ranked Pakistan.

The ICC rankings system prioritises the most recent results, with 2017-18 performances awarded full weighting while the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons are weighted at 50 per cent.

The Test and T20I rankings have also been updated, with no change to the top-ranked sides in either format.

India remained No.1 in the Test charts, extending their lead over second-ranked South Africa from four to 13 points.

Australia are still ranked No.3, while Bangladesh moved above West Indies to No.8, pushing the Caribbean team to No.9 for the first time.

In the T20I rankings, Pakistan remain on top ahead of second-ranked Australia, while Afghanistan jumped ahead of Sri Lanka into eighth spot.

Source: cricket.com.au