A brief look into how the new IFNA Rankings System works

Ranking and Rating

A rating is a measure of the average performance of a team over a series of matches. Each team earns a certain number of points from each international match. Their rating is the total number of points earned divided by the number of matches played.

The team with the highest rating is ranked first in the world. The next highest rating is ranked second and so on.

This rankings system was developed for IFNA by David Kendix.

The first list was published on 11 February 2008. The latest list has been updated on 28th May 2009.

Teams

This ranking list relates to senior teams of member countries that are playing regular international test matches.

Ranking and Rating

A rating is a measure of the average performance of a team over a series of matches. Each team earns a certain number of points from each international match. Their rating is the total number of points earned divided by the number of matches played.

The team with the highest rating is ranked first in the world. The next highest rating is ranked second and so on.

Weighting

Matches played a long time ago are a poorer guide to current form than more recent results. Therefore past results are weighted, giving a lower weighting to earlier results.

For the purposes of this list, matches played since July 2007 currently have a full weighting (100%). Matches played in the two previous years (July 2005-June 2007) have a weighting of 50%. Earlier matches are not directly included in the ratings at all.

Each July, the oldest year of results will drop out of the ratings and the weightings redistributed. This is the one annual occasion when the rankings list could alter other than through a match being played.

Points

The number of points earned by a team for any match depends on two factors.

1. The result (won, tied or lost)
2. The opponent against whom the result was achieved. The higher an opponent’s rating the more points are earned for beating them

Rating Period

It is not meaningful for a team to claim a world ranking if they have only played a small number of matches. As soon as a team has played eight International test matches over the rating period (currently this means since July 2005), then they will have earned an official world ranking.

If a team has played fewer than eight matches, they will still have a rating, but without a corresponding ranking.

The following teams currently have a rating in the system and could become ranked once they have played 8 matches.

• Antigua & Barbuda
• Hong Kong
• Maldives
• Pakistan
• St Kitts & Nevis
• St Lucia
• Thailand
• USA
• Vanuatu

Accurate at 12 February 2008