Australia's Cape Town collapse costs two No. 1 crowns
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Temba Bavuma and Pat Cummins (Source: CSA)
Published - 01 Nov 2026, 02:03 PM• Read time - 12 mins
The defeat in the series-deciding Test at Newlands in Cape Town against South Africa proved a double blow for Australia. The visitors not only surrendered the series but also lost their grip on the No. 1 spot in both the ICC Test rankings and the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 standings.
Australia had been leading the WTC points table but slipped to third place after suffering a 176-run defeat in Cape Town. They now have a points percentage (PCT) of 69.23. South Africa climbed to second with a PCT of 71.43, having won five of their seven matches in the current cycle and lost two.
New Zealand sit at the top of the standings with a PCT of 72.22, having won four of their six matches and lost just one.
The Proteas have also replaced Australia at the summit of the ICC Test rankings. South Africa are now the No. 1-ranked Test side in the world with 124 rating points. Meanwhile, the Pat Cummins-led outfit have dropped to second after losing the three-match series 2-1 and now hold 122 rating points.
Updated ICC Test Rankings after Australia's 2-1 loss to South Africa
| S. No. | Team | Matches | Points | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Africa | 23 | 2860 | 124 |
| 2 | Australia | 31 | 3787 | 122 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 22 | 2336 | 106 |
| 4 | India | 29 | 3042 | 105 |
| 5 | England | 36 | 3658 | 102 |
| 6 | Bangladesh | 25 | 1916 | 77 |
| 7 | Sri Lanka | 19 | 1434 | 75 |
| 8 | West Indies | 27 | 2008 | 74 |
| 9 | Pakistan | 23 | 1623 | 71 |
| 10 | Zimbabwe | 13 | 217 | 17 |
ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 Points Table after Australia's 2-1 loss to South Africa
| Pos | Team | M | W | L | T | D | N/R | Pts | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Zealand | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 72.22 |
| 2 | South Africa | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 71.43 |
| 3 | Australia | 13 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 108 | 69.23 |
| 4 | India | 11 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 68 | 51.52 |
| 5 | Bangladesh | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 47.62 |
| 6 | England | 16 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 74 | 38.54 |
| 7 | Sri Lanka | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 24 | 33.33 |
| 8 | West Indies | 13 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 26.92 |
| 9 | Pakistan | 9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4.63 |