Bangladesh Women Rise in Rankings

The International Cricket Council regularly updates its team rankings at the end of each week and after major tournaments. However, the annual update released at the beginning of May carries greater significance, as it reassesses teams based on performances over a longer period.

In the 2026 annual rankings update, Bangladesh’s women’s cricket team recorded progress in the One Day International standings. Led by Nigar Sultana, Bangladesh moved up one place to seventh position after overtaking Pakistan in the ODI rankings.

The ICC published the updated women’s ODI annual rankings in an official media release on Friday. The rankings are based on performances across a three-year period. Results from 1 May 2025 to 30 April 2026 were given full weighting, while performances from the previous two years were counted at 50 per cent weighting.

There were no changes among the top six teams in the women’s ODI rankings. Australia remained at the top with 163 rating points, maintaining a substantial lead over the rest of the field. England held second place with 128 points, while India stayed third on 126 points.

South Africa retained fourth place with 100 points, followed by New Zealand in fifth on 93 points. Sri Lanka remained sixth with 89 points.

Bangladesh climbed to seventh with 73 points, moving ahead of Pakistan in the updated standings. The rise marks an improvement for Bangladesh in the annual rankings system, which reflects sustained performances rather than short-term results. The remaining teams in the top ten are West Indies in ninth place and Ireland in tenth.

Women’s ODI Annual Rankings 2026

Alongside the women’s ODI update, the ICC also released the men’s annual Test rankings.

Australia retained the top position in the Test rankings with 131 points. South Africa, the reigning World Test Championship winners, remained second with 119 points.

A change occurred in third place, where India moved ahead of England. India climbed to third with 104 points, while England slipped to fourth on 102 points.

New Zealand held on to fifth place. Pakistan advanced one position to sixth, causing Sri Lanka to drop from sixth to seventh. West Indies ranked eighth, Bangladesh ninth and Zimbabwe tenth.

Ireland was removed from the Test rankings after failing to play the required minimum of eight Test matches within the specified period. According to ICC regulations, both Ireland and Afghanistan must play at least two Test matches over the next 12 months to regain eligibility for inclusion in the rankings.

The ICC has also announced the schedule for its remaining annual rankings updates. The updated T20 International rankings will be published on 5 May, followed by the men’s ODI rankings on 7 May.

Bangladesh’s improvement in the women’s ODI standings is one of the notable outcomes from this year’s annual rankings revision.