Australia's 5-0 Ashes whitewash of England has stretched their lead at the top of the LG ICC Test Championship, achieving the highest rating since it assumed its current format.

Ricky Ponting's side are 21 points ahead of their Ashes rivals having risen to 135 on the back of their success in reclaiming the urn.

England's outright second position is under threat, however, as Pakistan will draw level if they beat South Africa 2-0 and move ahead with a clean sweep in the three-Test series which starts in Centurion on Thursday.

In the individual ratings Stuart Clark, Australia's leading wicket-taker in the Ashes with 26 victims, entered the Test bowlers' top 10 for the first time, moving up four places to eighth.

There are three Englishmen still in the world's top 10, with Hampshire's Kevin Pietersen third in the batting rankings with Matthew Hoggard and Andrew Flintoff sixth and 10th respectively among the bowlers.

Test rankings.

Australia 135.

England 114.

Pakistan 112.

India 107.

Sri Lanka 102.

South Africa 98.

New Zealand 93.

West Indies 72.

Zimbabwe 28.

Bangladesh 2.

Test batsmen.

1 R. Ponting (Australia).

2 Mohammad Yousuf (Pakistan).

3 K. Pietersen (England).

4 K. Sangakkara (Sri Lanka).

5 M. Hussey (Australia).

6 M. Hayden (Australia).

7 R. Dravid (India).

8 B. Lara (West Indies).

9 Younis Khan (Pakistan).

10 J. Kallis (South Africa).

Test bowlers.

1 M. Muralidaran (Sri Lanka).

2 M. Ntini (South Africa).

3 G. McGrath (Australia).

4 S. Warne (Australia).

5 A. Kumble (India).

6 M. Hoggard (England).

7 S Bond (New Zealand).

8 S. Clark (Australia).

9 S. Pollock (South Africa).

10 A. Flintoff (England).