Bangladesh’s historic Test win in Australia has pushed them to No. 6 in the ICC rankings, their highest position since becoming a Test-playing nation.
The three-place rise came despite a heavy defeat in Mackay, where Australia won the second Test by an innings and 51 runs inside two days to level the series 1-1.
Bangladesh now have 1,878 points from 24 Tests and a rating of 78. They moved above Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies and Zimbabwe. Their previous best was seventh, reached after their 2-0 series win in Pakistan in 2024.
The ranking rise was secured by a series of results that included Bangladesh’s nine-wicket victory over Australia in Darwin, their first Test win on Australian soil. That performance was driven by their bowlers and several individual contributions, giving Bangladesh one of the most significant Test results in their history.
The Mackay defeat was a sharp contrast. Bangladesh were dismissed for 64 and 95, becoming the first team in 21 years to be bowled out for fewer than 100 in both innings of a Test. Shoriful Islam’s seven-wicket haul was one of the few bright spots.
Yet the overall result of the Australian tour — a 1-1 draw against the No. 1-ranked team — was enough to lift Bangladesh to a new high.
“Reaching No. 6 in Test cricket for the first time is a big achievement,” captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said after the Mackay Test. “The news would have been even better if we had played good cricket in this Test.”
Australia remain No. 1 with a rating of 126, followed by South Africa, New Zealand, India and England.