Australia have moved up to No.2 on the latest ICC Test rankings following the annual update on the ladder by cricket’s world governing body.
South Africa has fallen behind Michael Clarke’s men in the rankings although the Proteas can leap above Australia and England if they win their upcoming Test series against the world No.1 team.
Australia have 116 points while South Africa are now on 113 with England out in front on 122.
It means the No.1 spot is up for grabs for the second northern hemisphere summer in succession after England climbed to the game’s summit with a series win over India last year.
A drawn series or 1-0 win for England will mean Andrew Strauss’s men retain top spot while a 2-0 or 3-0 win to England would send South Africa down to fourth.
The alteration in Australia’s position comes with the oldest results dropping out of the rankings calculations – in this case 2008-9 – and it was this period which included series wins for the Proteas in England and Australia.
These results no longer count meaning Australia moves up one more position away from their nadir of fifth spot in 2009.
India and Pakistan have also changed places.
Pakistan, despite a 1-0 defeat in the three-Test series which finished in Sri Lanka on Thursday, have moved up to fourth while MS Dhoni’s side, No.1 this time last year, are now down in fifth place.
Lower down the table West Indies has fallen below New Zealand, who now go seventh. Zimbabwe still have not played sufficient Test matches to be ranked in the table having only played four in the ranking period.