As the decade is ending in a few days with the year 2019, ICC released the latest rankings for the cricketers in various departments and formats of the game. Former England skipper, Michael Vaughan is not at all impressed with the ICC rankings and has criticized them openly.
Well, New Zealand occupied the second spot in the ICC Test Rankings with 112 rating points, behind only India, who have 120 points to their name and are at the top of the list. On the other hand, England is at number three
Michael Vaughan feels that both the teams – New Zealand and England- haven’t performed well in the longest format of the game and shouldn’t be placed as high as they are in the ICC rankings. Labeling the ICC rankings as “absolute garbage”, Michael Vaughan was quoted as saying by The Sydney Morning Herald:
“I will be dead honest about the ICC rankings. I think they are absolute garbage,”
“I have no idea how – New Zealand have won plenty of series over the course of the last two years – but for them to be second, and where it stands out for me that the rankings can’t be right is that England in Test match cricket are third (now fourth), and England for three or four years have struggled in Test match cricket, particularly overseas.”
“They (England) have won series at home. They have only just drawn the Ashes in English conditions, they only just beat Ireland. I think the rankings are a little bit confusing. I certainly don’t, in my opinion, have New Zealand as the second best Test match nation in the world. I think, particularly over here in Australia, Australia are a far better Test match team,”
Michael Vaughan thinks that only India and Australia did their best in the Test match. Showering praises on the Indian team, he said:
“I think there are two teams — India and Australia, they are the best Test match teams in the world, without question. I think there is only one team that can come here and put Australia under pressure, that was 12 months ago, that they won here India,”
Furthermore, he highlighted the fact that the ranking list had a few top names missing. He said:
“There was no Smith, no Warner, no (Marnus) Labuschagne in the Australian ranks in that series, I think the series later on next year, when India arrive back here, hopefully, everyone will be fit. That Indian attack has got the pace, it has also got the spin, the batting unit has got all the experience. I only see only one team at this stage that can compete with Australia here and that is India,”
