Back to 10: Tigers in reverse gear in ODIs

After nearly two decades, Bangladesh have once again slipped to 10th place in the ICC ODI ranking, a regression that starkly underscores how far the Tigers have fallen behind in what was once considered their strongest format.

The ICC released its annual rankings update yesterday across all three formats. While Bangladesh's position remained unchanged at ninth in both Tests and T20Is, they dropped one spot to 10th in the 50-over format.

The Tigers suffered a four-point decline, bringing their total to 76 rating points. In contrast, West Indies gained five points and leapfrogged Bangladesh to claim the ninth spot with 83 points.

The last time Bangladesh ranked this low in ODIs was in 2007—the same year they first rose to ninth—and they had remained above that position until now.

Opportunities to gain rating points this year have been limited, as Bangladesh have played only three ODIs so far, all during the ICC Champions Trophy held in Pakistan and the UAE.

However, the Najmul Hossain Shanto-led side did themselves no favours with their performances, suffering defeats to India and New Zealand, while their match against Pakistan was washed out.

This slide in the rankings is not merely the result of a few recent losses; rather, it reflects a prolonged struggle in the ODI format, particularly since the 2023 ICC World Cup in India.

Since November 7, 2023—the day they began their World Cup campaign with a win over Afghanistan—Bangladesh have played 24 ODIs, winning only six, losing 17, and seeing one end in no result.

Their poor returns have extended across both ICC tournaments and bilateral series. Of their last six bilateral ODI series, they have managed to win only one, a 2-1 victory over Sri Lanka last year.

While the win-loss ratio paints a grim picture, what is arguably even more concerning is how consistently Bangladesh have appeared a step behind their opponents in adapting to the demands of the modern game.

This decline comes almost exactly eight years after Bangladesh achieved their highest-ever ODI ranking—sixth place—on May 25, 2017.

Hopes of breaking into the top five have since faded, and the road back to that level now seems longer than ever.

Meanwhile, Australia remains at the top in Tests and India leads the two white-ball formats.

In the Test Rankings, Pat Cummins' side boasts a rating of 126, staying well in front of the chasing pack. Ben Stokes-led England (113) made a big jump, moving up into the second place, overtaking both South Africa (111) and India (105).

The rest of the top 10 remained unchanged, with New Zealand holding fifth place, followed by Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

In the ODI rankings, India have strengthened their grip at the top on the back of a victorious ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign, improving their rating points from 122 to 124.

Coming in second place are the runners-up at the Champions Trophy, New Zealand, overtaking their Trans-Tasman rivals Australia, who now occupy third spot.

Sri Lanka, who had a rampant run at home in recent months, including ODI series wins against India and Australia, are in fourth place after gaining five rating points, leapfrogging Pakistan (fifth with a gain of one point) and South Africa (sixth with loss of four points) in the process.

Afghanistan also climbed the ladder – moving to seventh following a four-point improvement – at the expense of former world champions England, who fell to eighth after dropping four points.

In T20Is, the current ICC Men's T20 World Cup champions India are placed at the top, although their lead over the second-placed Australia has reduced from 10 to nine points.

The 2022 edition champions England, sit at number three, with New Zealand, West Indies and South Africa at four, five, and six respectively.

Sri Lanka's surge continues in the shortest format of the game as well, now 7th in the rankings after overtaking Asian rivals Pakistan (8). Bangladesh and Afghanistan follow their fellow Asian teams at ninth and tenth places, respectively.

The latest rankings rated all matches played since May 2024 at 100 percent and those of the previous two years at 50 percent.