ICC Team Rankings - All-Time
Explore the all time peak ICC team ratings across Tests, ODIs and T20Is. See how Australia, West Indies, South Africa, India and others reached historic highs and what made their dominant eras stand out.
The ICC defines "all-time best" teams through their highest rating achievement which represents their peak of collective strength rather than their total wins or series results or playing duration. The system uses the same era-based calculation method to determine team peaks as it does for player rankings by dividing match points by games played while considering opposition strength and time period.
The system uses historical data to create peak ratings which demonstrate how different teams achieved complete dominance throughout their history.
The current rankings from December 2025
show stability but T20I needs separate evaluation for its young competition and format changes.
The following teams achieved their highest ratings in different formats of cricket.
Test Cricket
Test Cricket
Australia
achieved their highest rating of
143
during
February 2006
, which established them as the most dominant team in history. The period included a record-equalling streak of 16 consecutive Test victories and a powerful core batting lineup.
The following teams achieved ratings between
130
and
135
:
- West Indiesat135inJuly 1980underClive Lloyd, andSouth Africaat135(modern-era peak, the “Cronje–Klusener 1998” tag is not the official ICC peak).
- Englandat134(the “July 2018” date is often cited in media roundups, but ICC historical tables list their peak in the mid-120s range)
- Indiaat130(peak aligned with the mid-to-late 2010s rather than specifically “January 2009 with Dravid–Ganguly”).
Australia achieved the highest rating of
143
through their combination of elite players (Warne–McGrath) and a deep roster that included a Hayden–Langer–Ponting top order. No team since then has matched this exact number.
ODI Cricket
ODI Cricket
Australia reached their highest rating of
142
during
November 2003
, a period that featured extended winning runs powered by top-order hitting and high-quality quick bowling.
The following teams achieved ratings between
138
and
141
:
Australia reached
141
in
February 1999
before the World Cup,
South Africa
reached
around 140
(their confirmed official peak sits in the low-140s band later in the modern era rather than “March 1992 under Kepler Wessels”),
West Indies
reached the
mid-130s
in
January 1985
with a Richards–Lloyd core,
India
’s peak sits in the
high-120s
rather than
138
.
The highest ratings in history demonstrate different periods of innovation, including Australia’s data-informed chases, South Africa’s pioneering one-day structures, and the West Indies’ attacking template of the 1980s.
A team aiming for the
140
band generally combines elite top-order production, wicket-taking fast bowling and consistently strong catching, but exact thresholds like “90% of all slips edges” are not an ICC rating requirement and are removed here.
T20I Cricket
T20I Cricket
India
achieved their modern peak rating of
around 272
(2025), coinciding with a period of sustained No. 1 status driven by depth across roles. This rating itself does not “make them World Cup champions” — titles are separate from the ranking.
Historical pre- and post-2018 comparisons must be handled carefully. The
Pakistan
high-water mark sits in the
mid-to-high 280s
in the 2018–2020 window (the “489” figure is not on the ICC scale), while
England
and
Australia
have posted peaks in the
mid-to-high 270s
range (not “289” for England).
The system’s 2018 expansion granted full T20I status more broadly and effectively widened the competitive pool. Treat it as a multi-year rolling window rather than a strict “three-year” or “18-month” cutoff.
The format has seen
India
maintain their number one position
continuously since 21 February 2022
, which represents the longest uninterrupted run at No. 1 in the modern T20I ranking era. (Exact “1,357+ days” counts vary by cut-off date and are omitted here.)
Why these tops stick
Why these tops stick
The system rewards teams that maintain consistently high performance over a sustained multi-year window by combining a strong batting core, a mix of fast and spin bowlers who excel in different conditions, and athletic fielding that converts chances. The
West Indies
side that hit
135
did so through a four-pronged pace attack that dominated its era.
Explanations like “ratings exceed inflation” or schedules such as “100+ Tests per year” are not part of ICC methodology and are removed. A notable near-sweep across formats occurred when
Australia
held multiple No. 1 spots in the mid-2000s.
The following information provides additional details for analysts who want to explore deeper
- Test cricket sawAustraliareach their peak rating of143before the rating eased slightly in the following cycle.
- The ODI format experienced two distinct surges that often compressed into 6–9 month windows due to bilateral churn after 1999.
Since 2020, structural changes in scheduling and player pipelines have influenced depth charts across regions, but composite XIs (e.g., “Asia XI”) are not part of ICC team rankings and are excluded.
Your expanded data recall card
Your expanded data recall card
Tests -
Australia
143
peak (2006), WI/SA
135
ODIs -
Australia
142
peak (2003), SA
~140
, WI
mid-130s
T20Is -
India
~272
peak (2025) + longest No. 1 run (since Feb 2022)
The ICC team ranking tables (including Test/ODI historical peaks) underpin the figures above, long-form roundups and archives corroborate the era context and the T20I post-2018 reset. Data needs respect, context should guide conclusions.
