The International Netball Federation has released the latest INF World Rankings which follow the annual update performed to ensure the rankings reflect the most current form of the international teams.
Matches played before July 2017 are no longer included in determining the INF World Rankings. Matches played between 1st July 2017 and 30th June 2019 now have a 50% weighting, while those played from 1st July 2019 onwards have a full weighting (100%).
This year, in light of the cancellation and postponement of matches due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the INF Board decided to reduce the number of matches required to obtain a ranking from eight to six. This allows some countries who have not been able to play eight matches in this period due to the suspension of international play to maintain their ranking.
The latest rankings see Australia retain their position as the top team in the world, however New Zealand is closing the gap in second place. England overtake Jamaica to claim back third place. Other changes in the top 20 see Malawi move up one place to 6th, Uganda move down to 7th while Zimbabwe move up a place to 12th and Barbados down to 13th.
More changes see Antigua and Barbuda move up to 31st place, the Cayman Islands move up two places to 26th while Botswana move down to 27th and Ireland move down to 28th. The largest movement within the rankings is Namibia who move from 30th place to 23rd and Lesotho join in the rankings in 40th place.
For the full table click here.
