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LANGUISHING no more than 12 months ago among the also-rans, Australia has returned to the top of the ICC Test rankings, edging out South Africa which had held the title since 2012.
And in a further boost, Australia also remains on top of the one-day international rankings, the first time the nation has held top spot in both Tests and ODIs at the same since 2008.
It’s the first time in almost five years that Australia has ruled the test world and captain Michael Clarke was genuinely overwhelmed.
“We are incredibly proud to be the number-one ranked team in Test and ODI cricket in the world, which are two of the team’s most important goals,” he said.
“We are incredibly proud to be the number-one ranked team in the world in both Test and ODI cricket, which are two of the team’s most important goals,” he said.
“There has been an enormous amount of hard work and effort on and off the field that has led to this result.”
Australia last held the number-one Test ranking in August 2009, when it was displaced after losing 2-1 to England.
Australia was the first team to be ranked number-one in Test cricket when the ICC introduced the current rankings system in 2003.
Since the system was introduced, Australia has been ranked as the number-one Test side for 74 months, more than any other side. South Africa is a distant second, having spent 23 months on top.
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