Australia extend rankings lead, Proteas slide

Australia's lead at the top of the International Cricket Council Test team rankings after today's annual update. Steve Smith men are now six points clear of second-placed India, Pakistan, just one point back in third. The ranking system is working on a four-year cycle, with today's update important results in 2012-13 are no longer to be calculated in the Test rankings.
The annual test update injured South Africa most, the 17 rankings lost points and fell three places from third to sixth place. The Proteas victory over Australia, England, New Zealand and Pakistan in 2012-13 no longer count, and with the team rebuilding under new captain AB de Villiers, it's a long way back for the former number 1 Test nation. Results in 2014-15 have had lowered its weighting from 100 percent to 50 percent, which Pakistan has benefited, who lost 2-0 to Sri Lanka at this time. Australia were crowned team in February after completing a 2-0 clean sweep of the Black Caps in New Zealand Test cricket No.1.
It ended a proper test-summer for the Australians and Captain Smith, who is yet to taste defeat in the five-day format at the top. "When the world No. 1 are each team you play against out for you, they are there for you on the hunt," Smith said in February. "It takes a lot of hard work to # 1 to stay." If it happens ... we have a pretty tough series got in a few months time, in Sri Lanka. "A lot of hard work still in us by this group." Australia last held the mantle as the leading Test team in the world in 2014, a reign that lasted only a month.
But this time, Smith intended for much longer to stay at the top, and it starts with the Qantas tour of Sri Lanka in July. "It's a good start for us," he said. "We want to win every series we play." We could really adapt well to these conditions ... hopefully we can do that if we play that next test tour. "