Australia are going strong in the ICC Women’s T20I, maintaining the top spot, and the numbers back it up. The latest T20I Rankings annual update, released on May 5, confirms they lead the table with 287 rating points, 12 clear of England in second. India hold third with 264 points.
The annual update works by giving full weightage to matches played since May 2025, while earlier results from the previous two years carry only half the weight. In simple terms, recent form matters most, and Australia’s recent form has been the best in the business.
Reigning champions New Zealand are fourth on 253 points, South Africa fifth on 243. The top 16 positions have not moved at all in this update, which says a lot about how settled the current order is at the top level of women’s cricket.
England, India, and New Zealand Not Far Behind
England and India are the two sides most likely to push Australia at the World Cup. England, 12 points back, have been consistent enough to stay in second but have not yet done enough to close the gap. India, in third, are in a similar position. Both will be hoping that the World Cup itself, starting June 12 in England and Wales, is where they finally get their shot at knocking Australia off.
New Zealand, as defending champions, carry genuine threat despite sitting fourth. South Africa, in fifth, have been one of the more improved sides in women’s cricket over the past few years, and a gap of just 44 points separating them from Australia shows the competition is not as one-sided as the top spot suggests.
The Midtable Fight Is Just as Interesting
Below the top five, the margins are incredibly tight. West Indies sit sixth on 238 points, Sri Lanka seventh on 237. One point between them. Pakistan are eighth on 216, and then Ireland on 200 and Bangladesh on 199 complete the top 10, again separated by a single point. Three separate one-point gaps across five teams tells you everything about how competitive this level of the rankings has become.
For these sides, every T20I they play between now and the World Cup carries weight, both for rankings purposes and for momentum going into the tournament.
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USA and Germany Moving Up
The most notable movers in this update came from outside the top 20. USA, who won the inaugural ICC Women‘s T20I Challenge Trophy, moved up two spots to 20th with 98 points. Germany had the bigger jump, gaining 10 rating points to climb six places and break into the top 30 at 29th. Both are signs that women’s cricket is growing in countries where it was not traditionally strong.
A total of 78 teams are ranked overall, all of whom have played at least eight T20Is across the past three years. Cambodia fell out after not meeting that threshold and need four more matches to return. Peru dropped off entirely after three years without playing.
The World Cup in England and Wales runs from June 12 to July 5, across 12 teams. Australia go in as No.1, as expected. The question is whether anyone can do something about it when the games actually start.
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