Pakistan Sixth in ICC T20I Team Rankings With 241 Rating, 2 Behind South Africa

Short answer: Pakistan are sixth in the ICC men's T20I team rankings with a rating of 241, on the table dated 12 October 2026. South Africa are fifth on 243, two points ahead. West Indies are seventh on 235, six points behind. England and India lead on 269 each.

Two points is the width of a single good innings. That is all that separates Pakistan from fifth place, and the third T20I against Sri Lanka is on Tuesday. So the table is worth reading closely this week.

We opened the ICC's men's T20I team ranking page on 12 October 2026 and read the full table. Every number below comes from that page.

Pakistan are sixth on 241 in the ICC T20I table dated 12 October

The ICC table puts Pakistan sixth with 14,713 points from 61 matches, which gives a rating of 241. England and India share the top rating of 269. Australia are third on 260, New Zealand fourth on 247 and South Africa fifth on 243.

The page is headed "Rank date 12 October 2026". That is the day after Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 82 runs in the second T20I, as our report on the second T20I result in Rawalpindi explains. The ICC does not say on the page which matches the date includes, so we do not claim the 11 October result is already counted.

The gap to South Africa is two points and to West Indies six

South Africa sit two rating points above Pakistan, and West Indies are six below. Sri Lanka, Pakistan's opponents this week, are ninth on 220, which is 21 points behind. Pakistan are the highest rated side in Asia after India.

England and India show the same rating of 269, so the ICC separates them on the decimals. England have 11,021 points from 41 matches, India 18,802 from 70. Divide both and England come out a fraction higher, 268.8 against 268.6, which matches the order on the page.

For Pakistan the nearest target is fifth place. South Africa are on 243, and one good run of results could close the two points. The same run would also build a cushion over West Indies, who are close enough to catch Pakistan on a bad week.

The rating is simply points divided by matches

The ICC calculates a team rating by dividing the points scored by the match total and rounding to the nearest whole number. Pakistan have 14,713 points from 61 matches, which is 241.2 before rounding. The ICC shows 241.

The ICC says this method was developed by David Kendix and compares it to a batting average, with points instead of runs and matches instead of dismissals. You can test it on any row. South Africa have 12,881 points from 53 matches, which is 243.0. Sri Lanka have 11,198 from 51, which is 219.6, shown as 220.

The same logic explains why one result moves a big table so slowly. Pakistan have already played 61 matches. One more match adds only one more to the bottom of the fraction. If that match is worth 100 points more than Pakistan's current average of about 241, the rating moves up by about 1.6. A bad result moves it down by a similar amount. It is a slow table.

We explained the same method for Tests and ODIs in our note on how to read Pakistan's ICC ranking. That page could not give a T20I number when it was written, because the T20I table showed empty. It has loaded now, and the number is 241.

What the third T20I can and cannot change

Pakistan have won the first two T20Is, so the series is already theirs. The third match, on Tuesday 13 October at 6 pm in Rawalpindi, adds one more game to the table. It cannot lift Pakistan above England or India. It could decide whether they pass South Africa.

The ICC does not publish the exact points per match on its public rankings page, so we do not give a forecast of the new rating. What the table does show is the starting point. A win moves Pakistan up by a point or so at most. A loss does the opposite. Passing South Africa at 243 needs a result and a bit of luck elsewhere, because South Africa's own rating also moves when they play. Our preview of the third T20I at Rawalpindi lists the start time and the ticket prices.

Sri Lanka are the lower rated side, so a Pakistan win would earn less than a win over a stronger team. That is a general feature of how the ICC rewards results, and it is why a 3-0 sweep of ninth ranked Sri Lanka will not by itself change the order at the top.

One more thing to remember: the ICC updates all its rankings once a year, around 1 May. That annual update changes the table more than any single match. It is the reason a team can jump or fall without playing.

How to check the table yourself in a minute

The T20I table sits on the ICC's own website under Rankings. It takes four steps, and the page shows the rank date at the top. Always read that date before you quote a number, because screenshots shared on social media are often weeks old.

1. Open icc-cricket.com and choose Rankings from the menu.
2. Pick Team Rankings, then Men's, then T20I.
3. Read the "Rank date" line above the table.
4. Find Pakistan and note the position, matches, points and rating.

If the rank date is old, the table has not changed. The ICC only moves a table after ranked matches finish. For the other two formats, Pakistan are fifth in ODIs, as our report on the ICC ODI team rankings shows, and ninth in Tests.

Common questions

Where is Pakistan in the ICC T20I team rankings?

Pakistan are sixth with a rating of 241, from 61 matches and 14,713 points, on the ICC table dated 12 October 2026.

Who is first in the ICC T20I team rankings?

England and India are both on 269. England are listed first because their points per match are a fraction higher.

How far is Pakistan from fifth place?

Two rating points. South Africa are fifth on 243 and Pakistan are on 241.

Does the Sri Lanka series change the ranking?

It can. Each T20I adds one match to the table. The ICC updates the table after ranked matches finish, so check the rank date.

How is the ICC team rating worked out?

The ICC divides a team's points by its matches and rounds to the nearest whole number. It likens this to a batting average.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

We read the ICC men's T20I team rankings page, dated 12 October 2026, and the ICC's About Rankings page on 12 October 2026. The ICC changes the table whenever ranked matches finish, so open it again before you quote a number.