A Test Cricket World Championship:
The Wisden/Engel method
A discussion of this method appears on pages 18-19 of this year's Wisden Cricketer's Almanack. A fuller discussion also appeared in the Wisden Cricket Monthly at the end of last year, and the magazine intends to publish regular updates.
However, for those who have not seen these publications, Matthew Engel's Championship looks at the most recent series result between any two sides, regardless of how many matches there were in the series, or how long ago the series took place.
A series win results in two points, a drawn series one, and a defeat none. As not all test sides have yet played each other home and away, the sides are then ranked by subtracting the number of series played from the points scored.
The current league table is as follows...
| Rank | Country | Series played | Points | Difference |
|---|
| 1 | Australia | 14 | 22 | +8 |
| 2= | India | 13 | 17 | +4 |
| 2= | South Africa | 12 | 16 | +4 |
| 4 | West Indies | 11 | 14 | +3 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 12 | 14 | +2 |
| 6 | England | 14 | 11 | -3 |
| 7 | Sri Lanka | 12 | 12 | -4 |
| 8 | Zimbabwe | 10 | 4 | -6 | | 9 |
New Zealand | 16 | 8 | -8 |
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