LONDON: Sunday's draw in the Ashes finale at The Oval saw England leapfrog India into second place in the International Cricket Council Test rankings as Australia dropped to fifth place -- their lowest position for two years.
England won the series 3-0 and thereby gained four ratings points to finish with 116 in total.
They started the Ashes in third place in the ICC standings.
However, after taking a 3-0 lead in the five-Test series, England required either a draw or a win at The Oval to move ahead of India into second position.
The draw saw England join India on 116 points but ranked above them when the standings were calculated to a decimal point.
Meanwhile Australia dropped four ratings points to slip below Pakistan and into fifth place.
This meant Australia, who've now failed to win their last nine Tests, were in their lowest position in the standings since they were last ranked fifth in August 2011.
The Test Championship table is updated only after the end of a series.
Leaders South Africa, the current holders of the ICC Test Championship mace, are currently 19 points clear of England at the top of the table.
ICC Test rankings as of August 25 (rank, change in ranking, team, ratings points, change in ratings points):
1 South Africa 135
2 (+1) England 116 (+4)
3 (-1) India 116
4 (+1) Pakistan 102
5 (-1) Australia 101 (-4)
6 West Indies 99
7 Sri Lanka 88
8 New Zealand 79
9 Bangladesh 10
Note: Zimbabwe are currently unranked as they have played insufficient matches. They have 183 points and a rating of 23. (AFP)