The two-Test series between Bangladesh and England starts in Chittagong on Thursday with Alastair Cook set to return after attending the birth of his second child.
In the Test rankings Fourth-ranked England (108 points) leads ninth-ranked Bangladesh (57 points) by 51 points and because the rankings are weighted to reflect this difference, if England fail to win the series they will drop ranking points.
If England wins the series 1-0, there will be no change to its pre-series position, but it will move ahead of Australia in to third place on 109 points if it wins both Tests.
In contrast, Bangladesh will jump to 72 points in case of a 1-0 win, while a 2-0 will put it on 75 points either way potentially above West Indies who face their own series with Pakistan. A 1-0 defeat will mean England will slip to 103 points and in case of a 2-0 defeat down to 102 points.
CLICK HERE to read more about the Bangladesh players to watch ahead of the Test series, as picked by cricket commentator and Author Peter Miller @TheCricketGeek
Forthcoming Tests:
Bangladesh v England
20-24 October – 1st Test, Chittagong
28 Oct-1 Nov – 2nd Test, Mirpur
Pakistan v West Indies
21-25 Oct – 2nd Test, Abu Dhabi
30 Oct-3 Nov – 3rd Test, Sharjah
MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings (as on 18 October, before the start of Bangladesh and England series)
Rank Team Points
- India 115
- Pakistan 111
- Australia 108
- England 108
- South Africa 96
- Sri Lanka 95
- New Zealand 91
- West Indies 67
- Bangladesh 57
- Zimbabwe 8
The Test team rankings, unlike the ODI and T20I team rankings, are only updated at the end of the series.