India down to 8th

India, who were once as high as third, have slipped to eighth in the latest edition of the Wisden World Championship.

The main reason for their slump is that two series wins – over England and Zimbabwe in 1992-93 - - have now been discounted from the table as they are over seven years old (this recasting takes place each September - - the only other series affected is Sri Lanka's victory over England in 1992-98).

England, rated the worst international team in the world after they lost to New Zealand at The Oval a year ago, have climbed to sixth after winning a series against West Indies for the first time in 31 years.

England could climb into the top half of the table over the next few months if they win their forthcoming Test series in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the teams immediately above them in the table.

Australia still lead, as they have done since January 1997, narrowly ahead of South Africa. West Indies remain in third place by 0.07 of a point, but could fall below England next year.

The Wisden World Championship - - unofficial but widely-accepted - - began in 1996 as a means of ranking the nine teams who have played Tests. It counts the most recent series, both home and away, between each pair of countries. Teams receive two points for winning a series and one for drawing. A one-off Test counts as a series.

How they stand as on September 4, 2000
Countries	P	W	D	L	Pts	Avg
Australia	15	12	1	2	25	1.67
South Africa	15	11	1	3	23	1.53
West Indies	14	6	3	5	15	1.07
Sri Lanka	15	6	3	6	15	1.00
Pakistan	14	6	2	6	14	1.00
England	13	5	1	7	11	0.85
N.Zealand	16	5	2	9	12	0.75
India	13	2	3	8	7	0.54
Zimbabwe	13	2	2	9	6	0.46

Mail Cricket Editor