4. South Africa ( July 2014 – January 2016):
A 1-0 away win over Sri Lanka took the Proteas to the top of Test cricket. The period saw them dominating Test cricket in every part of the world. During that time,they won away series against Zimbabwe, defeated West Indies at home and drew against Bangladesh. Their downfall started when they were thrashed 3-0 by the Indian team last year and they lost their number ranking after slipping to 2-0 in the four-match series against England at home. They eventually lost that series by 2-1.