Both England and Australia would be looking to boost up their ICC Test rankings when the arch rivals lock horns in the upcoming Ashes that commences on July 8 in Cardiff.
The two sides will be bidding to hold possession of the prestigious Urn in what is expected to be a keenly-contested and hard-fought five-Test series.
England is currently placed at the fifth spot on 97 ratings points, trailing India and ahead of Pakistan by a fraction of a point, while Australia is on the second spot with 111 ratings points. This means England has an opportunity to move to as high as second if it wins the series by 3-0 or better, but will drop to as low as seventh if they lose all the five Tests.
In contrast, Australia will jump to 118 points to reduce the gap with number-one ranked South Africa to 12 points, but will drop to fourth if England wins all the five Tests, irrespective of the result of the Pallekele Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
In fact, a 3-0 or 4-1 result in England's favour will mean Australia would drop behind the Alastair Cook-led side in the third position.
