LONDON, (Reuters) – Australia were knocked off the  top of the ICC test rankings for the first time since 2003 after  losing the Ashes series to England yesterday, enabling South  Africa to take over the number one spot.

After their 197-run defeat at the Oval in the fifth test,  which meant they lost the series 2-1, Australia dropped to  fourth place in the standings released by the International  Cricket Council.

Australia had topped the standings since the current test  ranking system was introduced in 2003. Sri Lanka are second,  with India third, while England are just behind Australia in  fifth.

South Africa are also the top-ranked team in the one-day  game.

“This is a fitting tribute to (captain) Graeme Smith and the  Proteas, whose triumphs around the cricketing world have made  all South Africans very proud indeed,” Cricket South Africa  chief executive Gerald Majola said in a statement.