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Following the 2-1 win by Australia their rating has increased to 1216 points. The Australians retain an iron tight grip on first place in the ratings with an 83-point lead over second placed South Africa. Australia has established the largest lead over a second placed nation in the last eleven years.
Compared to other Australian teams, only Lindsay Hassett's team of 1951-52 has held a higher rating. After defeating the West Indies 4-1, Hassett's team recorded what was the highest rating by any team of 1217 points.
Sir Vivian Richard's West Indians is the only team to have set a higher rating. In April 1986, after the 'blackwash' of England, the West Indians rating climbed to 1236 points. Later in November the same year, the West Indians slid back to 1225 points after a drawn series in Pakistan.
These comparisons show that Waugh's Australians are effectively in the stratosphere of test cricket ratings. In the 125 years of Test cricket, there have only been four teams to hold a rating above 1200 points.
Benaud's Australians peaked at 1202 points in December 1959 and then immediately fell below 1200 points in the next series. The Australians of Hassett's era remained above 1200 points for two and a half years.
The West Indians of the Richards era kept their rating beyond 1200 points for two periods with a short gap in between. The first period was for three and a half years and the second of around two and a half years.
Waugh's Australians passed 1200 points for the first time in January 2001 before immediately losing to India. After defeating England in August 2001, their rating again climbed above 1200 points. However, they slid back again following the drawn series with New Zealand. Finally, the defeat of South Africa earlier this season saw their rating pass 1200 points for the third time in fourteen months.
If history is a guide then the current Australian team could expect a minimum of another two years at its absolute top form. After that, the countdown to an inevitable slide in their rating begins. The one certainty is that they will not remain this good forever.
South Africa should look to the many positives coming out of their two consecutive series losses to Australia.
Despite being thumped over and over again this season, the South Africans showed that when the pressure eased slightly then they retained the mental toughness to fight back hard. These qualities have kept South Africa near the top of world cricket for the last three years.
It took until the fifth Test for South Africa to be genuinely competitive with Australia. However, South Africa managed to turn it all around when other nations would have been looking for a corner to gibber in.
During the series just ended, South Africa found talented new players who will carry them forward over the next few years. Like India and England over the last year, South Africa found the stability needed to break a record to overcome Australia. In this case, they had never before reached a fourth innings victory target above 300 runs.
South Africa retains second place and a healthy 60-point lead over third placed Pakistan. It is unlikely that South African cricket will fall into ruin in the near future, as some of their provinces seem to think.
In reality, South Africa remains the team most likely to eventually topple Australia. However, they may have to wait for Australia?s eventual fall from the stratosphere first.
Latest Ratings: 1. Australia (1216); 2. South Africa (1133); 3. Pakistan (1073); 4. England (1049); 4. Sri Lanka (1049); 6. India (1039); 7. New Zealand (1022); 8. West Indies (1006); 9. Zimbabwe (911); 10. Bangladesh (838).
