International Cricket

ICC Test Ranking Projections May 2026 After Pakistan WI Series

Priya Menon 6 May 2026 Updated 6 May 2026 ~4 min read ~620 words

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The Pakistan vs West Indies Test series of April-May 2026 was a high-stakes window for two ICC Test ranking sides under pressure. With Pakistan winning the rubber and West Indies losing both Tests at home, the ranking points calculation shifts both sides materially. Here is the projected post-series ranking, team-by-team.

The projected post-series Test ranking

Below is the projected ranking after ICC's rolling-window adjustment is applied. Numbers are indicative; ICC's formal release usually drops within 14 days of a series end.

Rank	Team	Projected Rating	Movement
1	Australia	124	unchanged
2	India	121	unchanged
3	South Africa	110	unchanged
4	England	104	unchanged
5	New Zealand	98	unchanged
6	Pakistan	96	up 4
7	Sri Lanka	92	unchanged
8	West Indies	84	down 5
9	Bangladesh	70	unchanged
10	Afghanistan	56	unchanged
11	Zimbabwe	50	unchanged
12	Ireland	48	unchanged

Pakistan rises into the top-six

Pakistan's 2-0 win in the Caribbean swings four rating points upward — meaningful because the side was approaching the bottom of the top-half rolling window. The win lifts Pakistan past Sri Lanka cleanly and keeps them within striking distance of New Zealand. The cycle implications matter: a stronger ranking lifts seeding for the next FTP and host-rights bidding for marquee Tests.

West Indies drops to eighth

The home-soil 0-2 loss is heavy. West Indies drops five rating points and falls behind Sri Lanka. The wider implications are direct — broadcast rights, FTP positioning, and ICC pathway funding have rolling-rating triggers that the side is now below for the first time in three years. The selection conversation around Brathwaite's extension also gets harder.

Why projections diverge from ICC's formal release

The ICC weighting model uses a 2-year rolling window. Series of fewer than five Tests are weighted at 0.5 of the per-Test impact; non-WTC bilateral Tests carry slightly less weight than WTC-cycle Tests. Drawn series produce smaller swings. The formal ICC release will be marginally different to the projection above — typically within 1-2 rating points either way.

What changes from here

Team	Next series window	Implication
Pakistan	NZ tour Dec 2026	Win = ranking pressure on NZ; loss = back-to-7
West Indies	Eng tour Feb-Mar 2027	Win = recover to 7; loss = settle at 8
New Zealand	Pak home Dec 2026	Win = lift to 4; loss = settle at 5-6
England	SA tour Aug-Sep 2027	Win = lift to 3; loss = drop to 5

What this means

The Test rankings are not just a vanity number. They drive cycle-end seeding for WTC, FTP series allocation through 2027-29, and ICC pathway funding. Pakistan's rise here is small but cumulative; West Indies' drop is the warning sign for a side that has been losing Test ground for half a decade.

For Pakistan's next-series context, see the Pakistan tour New Zealand 1st Test day-1 preview. For broader 2026 ICC ranking context, the ICC Mens Test Rankings late April 2026 piece walks the prior cycle.

The next ICC formal release is expected within two weeks. Watch for the rolling-window adjustment that always swings the table by 1-2 spots in the lower half.