By Oliver Brett

If 2005 was the year English cricket finally ended an 18-year hoodoo by beating Australia, 2006 is the year in which it must consolidate its gains.

ICC TEST CHAMPIONSHIP Australia: 129 pts India: 115 England: 113 Pakistan: 103 New Zealand: 100 South Africa: 99 Sri Lanka: 96 West Indies: 73 Zimbabwe: 27 Bangladesh: 5 As at 6 Jan 2006 Future tour dates

The International Cricket Council's Test Championship ladder had second-place England just eight points behind Australia after they won the Ashes for a sixth series win on the trot.

Chairman of selectors David Graveney said that if the team were to follow up with wins in Pakistan and India they had a right to be considered the best in the world.

But since then, England have lost 2-0 in Pakistan - dropping six points - and Australia have returned to winning ways by polishing off West Indies and South Africa at home.

So suddenly Freddie Flintoff and the boys are languishing back in third place and a hint of sobriety has returned to Team England.

Australia are a team in flux, having discarded the likes of Jason Gillespie, Michael Kasprowicz, Damien Martyn and Michael Clarke.

They do not have the same confident swagger they had about them before losing the Ashes, but certainly had too much nous for each of their last opponents.

Feature: Ashes to crashes

Meanwhile, England's gung-ho batting, plus various injury problems and distractions, caused them to lose the plot in Pakistan.

They need a more focused approach for their Test series in India, which starts on 1 March, to get back on track.

As for their next hosts, India are now the holders of second place and good showings in 10 Tests over the next six months could see them rather than England as Australia's biggest threat.

In the congested middle order, Pakistan are fourth, narrowly ahead of New Zealand, with South Africa a point further behind in sixth and Sri Lanka three more adrift.

Defeats away from home have cost Sri Lanka dearly

The next "marquee" series - to borrow the word used by their coach Greg Chappell - is India's tour of Pakistan.

Any sort of win by Pakistan (and the betting exchanges see them as favourites) will allow them to move up at least one spot.

But England would not be helped out particularly if India win, because they would lose ground on the team above them.

The very fact that Pakistan are mixing it with the best teams reflects well on their coach Bob Woolmer, who arrived at a time when they were vilified for their lack of consistency.

But with just seven points separating the middle four teams in the ladder they need to keep on winning regularly to maintain or improve their position.

If any team look undervalued in the rankings it is Graeme Smith's South Africa.

In many ways unlucky not to get something out of their rubber in Australia, they have a chance to do something about that in the reverse series at home to the Aussies.

Pakistan are on the way up, but can they consolidate?

As for New Zealand, who are making more waves in one-day cricket under John Bracewell, they will surely beat West Indies at home but then have to retain those points when they travel to South Africa.

Things are not exactly rosy in Sri Lankan cricket at the moment, and they have a poor record in Test cricket away from home.

Their next engagement in Tests brings them to England in May when the wickets are at their greenest - so realistically they have little hope of making up much ground on other teams imminently.

West Indies, who in the past year have been seriously affected by contractual disputes, are well of the pace - though not as badly as Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.

Looking at the foot of the table, and the paucity of points gained by its occupants, the ICC may eventually have to create a second division of Test nations.