Crickets Best: A Look at the Top Performing Teams

Cricket is a widely loved sport, with teams from different countries competing at the highest level. The matches are full of action, whether in Test, ODI, or T20 formats. India, Australia, and England are among the most successful teams, but New Zealand and Sri Lanka also stand out. In this article, we will look at the cricket teams that are at the top of the game today.

India National Cricket Team

The India men's national cricket team, often called the Men in Blue, represents India in international cricket. It is run by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). India is a full member of the International Cricket Council and plays in Test matches, One Day Internationals (ODIs), and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is).

India has played 589 Test matches. Out of these, the team won 181, lost 184, drew 223, and had one tied game. As of March 2025, India holds the third spot in the ICC Test rankings with 109 rating points. The team played in the World Test Championship final in both 2021 and 2023, and ended in third place in 2025. India’s Test rivalries include the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with Australia, the Freedom Trophy with South Africa, and two series with England: the Pataudi and Anthony de Mello Trophies.

In ODIs, India has taken part in 1,066 matches. The team has 567 wins, 445 losses, 10 ties, and 44 games without a result. As of March 2025, India is ranked number one in ODIs with 122 points. The team reached the World Cup final four times—in 1983, 2003, 2011, and 2023. They won the trophy in 1983 and again in 2011. India also claimed the Champions Trophy in 2002, 2013, and 2025. In the Asia Cup (ODI format), the team lifted the trophy seven times, with the latest win in 2023.

India has played 247 T20I matches. Out of these, they won 164 and lost 71. Six games ended in a tie, and six others had no result. As of March 2025, India leads the ICC T20I rankings with 269 points. The team became T20 World Champions in 2007 and again in 2024. They also won the T20 Asia Cup in 2016 and took gold at the 2022 Asian Games.

Right now, India holds the T20 World Cup and the One Day Asia Cup titles. The team won the 2023 Asia Cup and followed that with the 2024 T20 World Cup. In 2025, India beat New Zealand in the final to win its third Champions Trophy. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are the only Indian players who have lifted four ICC trophies each.

India’s 2024 T20 World Cup win stands out. The team defeated South Africa in the final match. This made India the third nation to win the tournament twice. It also became the first team to go unbeaten through the whole event. Arshdeep Singh was the joint top wicket-taker with 17 wickets. Jasprit Bumrah earned the Player of the Tournament award. This was also Rohit Sharma’s final T20 World Cup. He had played in every edition since 2007.

While India has seen strong results in ODIs and T20Is, their recent Test performances have not been as good. The team lost 3–0 at home against New Zealand and failed to win a Test series in Australia. These results meant that India missed a place in the 2025 World Test Championship final.

Achievement	Year(s)
ICC World Cup Wins	1983, 2011
ICC Champions Trophy Wins	2002, 2013, 2025
ICC Men's T20 World Cup Wins	2007, 2024
Asia Cup ODI Wins	1984, 1988, 1990–91, 1995, 2010, 2018, 2023
Asia Cup T20 Wins	2016
Asian Games Gold Medal	2022

Australia National Cricket Team

The Australia men's national cricket team represents the country in international cricket. Along with England, it is one of the oldest teams in Test cricket history. The team played and won the first-ever Test match in 1877. They also play One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket. They won their first ODI against England in 1971 and their first T20I against New Zealand in 2005. The players come from domestic competitions like the Sheffield Shield, the Australian limited-overs tournament, and the Big Bash League. Australia holds the ICC World Test Championship and ICC Cricket World Cup titles and is regarded as the most successful cricket team in history.

As of January 2025, Australia has played 873 Test matches. They have won 419, lost 233, and drawn 219, with 2 ties. They hold the top spot in the ICC Test Rankings. Australia also has the highest win percentage and win-loss ratio in Test cricket. From 2021 to 2023, they won the ICC World Test Championship by defeating India in the final.

Australia’s key rivalries in Test cricket include The Ashes (with England), the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (with India), the Frank Worrell Trophy (with the West Indies), the Trans-Tasman Trophy (with New Zealand), and matches against South Africa.

In One-Day Internationals (ODIs), Australia has played 1,013 matches, winning 614, losing 355, tying 9, and having 35 no-results. As of January 2025, they are ranked second in the ICC Men's ODI Rankings. Australia has appeared in a record eight World Cup finals (1975, 1987, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015, 2023) and has won the World Cup six times (1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015, 2023). They became the first team to reach four consecutive World Cup finals (1996–2007) and the only team to win three World Cups in a row (1999–2007). They were unbeaten in 34 World Cup matches until Pakistan defeated them in the 2011 Group Stage. Australia is also the second team to win the World Cup on home soil, after India in 2011.

In Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), Australia has played 203 matches, winning 112, losing 84, tying 3, and having 4 no-results. They are ranked second in the ICC Men's T20I Rankings as of January 2025. In 2021, they won the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, defeating New Zealand in the final.

Australia recorded their 1,000th international win on January 12, 2019, with a 34-run victory over India at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Australia is the current World Test and World Cup champion, having won both titles in 2023. They defeated India in both the World Test Championship final at The Oval and the World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Australia’s cricket history saw a "Golden Era" at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century. The team recovered from disruptions caused by World Series Cricket to form one of the best Test teams in history. Under captain Allan Border and coach Bob Simpson, the team was rebuilt with a focus on new fielding standards. Key players such as Border, David Boon, Dean Jones, and Steve Waugh kept the team competitive. By the late 1980s, players such as Ian Healy, Mark Taylor, and Mark Waugh helped Australia win their first Cricket World Cup in 1987. They defeated England in the final. The team also won the Ashes in 1989 and continued their success into the early 1990s.

In 2023, Australia had a historic year. They won their first ICC World Test Championship and their sixth ICC World Cup title. In both finals, they defeated India.

Achievement	Year(s)
ICC Cricket World Cup Wins	1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015, 2023
ICC Men's T20 World Cup Wins	2021
ICC World Test Championship Wins	2021–2023
ICC Champions Trophy Wins	2006, 2009
Ashes Wins	Multiple (1989, 1991, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2017, 2021)
World Cup Final Appearances	1975, 1987, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015, 2023
Consecutive World Cup Wins	1999, 2003, 2007
1,000th International Cricket Win	2019

England National Cricket Team

The England men's cricket team represents England and Wales in international cricket. The team has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) since 1997. Before that, it was managed by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) from 1903. England is one of the founding nations of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and has full membership in the organization, which includes Test, One-Day International (ODI), and Twenty20 International (T20I) status. Before the 1990s, Scottish and Irish players also played for England since those countries were not ICC members at the time.

England and Australia played the first Test match in 1877, and both countries helped create the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909, which later became the ICC. England and Australia also played the first ODI in 1971. England's first T20I match was against Australia in 2005.

As of March 2025, England has played 1,082 Test matches, winning 400 and losing 328, with 355 draws. The main rivalry in Test cricket is between England and Australia, who compete for the Ashes trophy. England has won the Ashes 32 times. The team has played 811 One-Day Internationals (ODIs), winning 403. England has reached the World Cup final four times (1979, 1987, 1992) and won their first World Cup in 2019. The team was also a runner-up in the ICC Champions Trophy twice (2004, 2013).

England has played 204 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), winning 104. The team won the ICC T20 World Cup in 2010 and 2022, and finished second in 2016.

As of March 2025, England is ranked fourth in Test cricket, seventh in ODIs, and third in T20Is by the ICC.

Achievement	Year(s)
ICC Cricket World Cup Wins	2019
ICC Men's T20 World Cup Wins	2010, 2022
ICC Champions Trophy Runners-up	2004, 2013
ICC Test Championship Wins	2012
Ashes Wins	32 times

New Zealand National Cricket Team

The New Zealand national cricket team plays for New Zealand in men's international cricket. Known as the Black Caps (Māori: Pōtae Pango), they played their first Test match in 1930 against England in Christchurch. This made New Zealand the fifth country to play Test cricket. New Zealand won their first Test match in 1956 against the West Indies in Auckland, after waiting 26 years. The team played their first ODI in the 1972–73 season against Pakistan in Christchurch.

New Zealand won the ICC World Test Championship in 2021. They also won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2000. They reached the finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2015 and 2019, but never won. In 2021, they played in the ICC T20 World Cup final, but lost.

Tom Latham is the Test captain, while Mitchell Santner is the captain for ODIs and T20Is. The team is managed by New Zealand Cricket.

The name "Black Caps" was chosen in January 1998 after a competition by their sponsor, Clear Communications. It follows the tradition of the New Zealand All Blacks.

As of March 2025, New Zealand ranks 5th in Test cricket, 4th in ODIs, and 4th in T20Is by the ICC.

Achievement	Year(s)
ICC World Test Championship	Champions (1): 2019–2021
ICC World Cup	Runners-up (2): 2015, 2019
ICC T20 World Cup	Runners-up (1): 2021
ICC Champions Trophy	Champions (1): 2000
	Runners-up (2): 2009, 2025

Sri Lanka National Cricket Team

The Sri Lanka men's national cricket team, also known as The Lions, has a storied history in international cricket. The team first competed in first-class cricket under the name Ceylon in 1926-27 and gained Associate Member status with the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1965. Sri Lanka's debut on the world stage came during the 1975 Cricket World Cup, where they played their first international match. In 1981, Sri Lanka became a full Test-playing nation. This event marked the team's entry into top-level international cricket.

The biggest success for the team came in 1996. Sri Lanka won the ICC Cricket World Cup after beating Australia in the final. This victory, under the leadership of Arjuna Ranatunga, marked the beginning of Sri Lanka's rise as a competitive force in world cricket. After 1996, Sri Lanka reached the World Cup finals again in 2007 and 2011. They finished as runners-up both times.

Sri Lanka's T20 achievements have also been notable, with their first ICC T20 World Cup victory in 2014 when they defeated India. They have also been runners-up in the tournament on two other occasions (2009 and 2012). The team’s success is not confined to limited-overs cricket; Sri Lanka became the co-champions of the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy alongside India.

Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup in 1986, 1997, 2004, 2008, 2014 and 2022. They also finished as runners-up in several editions. In 2001 and 2002, the team won the first Asian Test Championship.

Sri Lanka achieved their first Test match win against Australia in 1999. After that, they won several series. One of the most memorable was the 3-0 whitewash against Australia in 2016. In 2023, the team reached 100 Test victories. They remain active in top-level international cricket.

Despite challenges, including political turmoil and inconsistent performances in recent years, Sri Lanka remains a prominent team in world cricket. They have produced legendary players such as Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumar Sangakkara, and Mahela Jayawardene, who have made lasting contributions to the game.

Achievement	Year(s)
ICC World Cup Champions	1996
ICC World Cup Runners-up	2007, 2011
ICC T20 World Cup Champions	2014
ICC T20 World Cup Runners-up	2009, 2012
ICC Champions Trophy	2002 (Co-champions)
Asia Cup Champions	1986, 1997, 2004, 2008, 2014, 2022
Asia Cup Runners-up	1984, 1988, 1990–91, 1995, 2000, 2010, 2023
Asian Test Championship Champions	2001–02
Asian Test Championship Runners-up	1998–99
Asian Games Gold Medal	2014
South Asian Games Silver Medal	2010, 2019

Conclusion

The top cricket teams have shown great results in international tournaments. They have won events like the ICC World Cup, T20 World Cup, and various regional competitions. These teams often perform well in big matches and have players who stand out. They stay strong in world cricket and set an example for young players.