England have leapfrogged Australia to take third place in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test Team Rankings, after completing a 3-1 victory over South Africa in their four-match series.
The jump in rankings will serve as a warning to Australia, who will host the Ashes later this year, in a bid to regain the urn.
England’s 177-run victory at Old Trafford in Manchester on Monday helped them gain six points, to move from 99 points to 105 points, five ahead of Australia, who will host the next Ashes series from November 23 to January 8.
England is in possession of the Ashes but will remember the 5-0 series defeat on their last tour Down Under in 2013-14.
If rankings and form are an indicator, England can be expected to be more competitive this time.
The result has also resulted in South Africa losing seven points to slide to 110 points, though they remain in second place.
India, which leads their three-Test series against Sri Lanka 2-0, will remain comfortably placed at the top, irrespective of the result of the last match.
Currently on 123 points, India will finish the series at 122 points, if they lose the Pallekele Test starting on Saturday, while they will go up to 125 points if they win the series 3-0. – African News Agency (ANA)
