ICC Cricket Ratings are designed to know cricket players' actual standing in the game in a better way. Prior to this, players' ratings were calculated by comparing their averages. Experts felt that this method is neither fair nor fool proof as it is based on the overall career of a player without taking in to account the strength of the opposite team and the conditions in which a particular match was played.  

In the year 1987, Ted Dexter came up with a new method to indicate the current standing of cricket players. Since then, almost every cricket playing country has accepted this system, as it is totally based on the latest performance of a player. This ICC Cricket Ranking was given the name PWC Cricket Ranking. However, on 19th January 2005, ICC appointed LG as the sponsors and accordingly the name is also changed to LG ICC Cricket Rankings.

 In the beginning, ICC Cricket Rankings ranked test cricketers only. However, in the year 1998 ICC decided to introduce the ICC Cricket Rankings separately for one-day internationals also. No matter when the two ranking systems started functioning, they calculate the rankings right back to the beginning of both forms of cricket.

 ICC Cricket Rankings are mainly of two types. First type of ranking lists the best batsman and best bowler in a particular year. On the other hand second type of ranking is not limited to a particular year. It is an all time ranking list that includes the names of batsmen ad bowlers those with a peak rating of 900 or more points. Here it is worth mentioning that names included in the all time rankings list are not necessarily the best batsmen or the best bowlers. However, these are the names that attained the highest peaks of their forms. Interestingly, this list includes different kind of players. For example, some names managed to remain at the top for most of their career, while some others reached the peak shortly before retiring from the game.

 ICC Cricket Rankings list for the batsmen those have peak rating 900 or more points puts Don Brad man of Australia at the top with 961 points. Len Hutton, Peter May and Jack Hobbs of England are at No 2, 3 and 4 with 944, 941 and 941 points, respectively. Next three names are from West Indies. Vivian Richards, Gary Sobers and Clyde Walcott scored 938, 937 and 937 points respectively to gain 5th, 6th and 7th position. Ricky Ponting and Mathew Hayden of Australia got 8th and 9th position while Graeme Pollock of South Africa is on No 10.

 According to the year-end ICC Cricket Rankings, Sachin Tendulkar of India was No1 rated batsman for the year 2000. Brian Lara of West Indies was declared best batsman for the year 2001 and 2003 while Mathew Hayden of Australia topped the list for year 2002. Rahul Dravid of India and Ricky Ponting of Australia were best batsmen for the year 2004 and 2005 respectively. Glenn McGrath topped the bowlers' list for year 2001, 2002 and 2004 while Muralitharan and Shane Warne were best bowlers for the year 2003 and 2005 respectively.