Steve Smith's two-year reign as the world's No.1 Test batsman looks set to end, with Indian rival Virat Kohli primed to overtake the disgraced Australian.
Smith has been temporarily stripped of the Test captaincy and ordered home from South Africa, along with David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, in response to explosive ball-tampering revelations.
Cricket Australia will finalise sanctions for the trio within the next 24 hours but lengthy bans appear likely.
Smith has been top of the ICC's Test batting rankings since December 2015.
The 28-year-old's barnstorming Ashes series helped him to a personal-best 945 rankings points - equal with former England opener Len Hutton and trailing only Don Bradman on the all-time rankings list.
His tally has since fallen to 938 after a career-worst Test series against South Africa in which he averaged just 23.66 with the bat.
Kohli, already the world's best one-day international batsman, is ranked second with 912 points.
India will play five Tests in England starting in August, with a strong performance potentially enough to propel Kohli to the top spot.
The Indian skipper struggled during last year's fiery series against Australia but has since been in magnificent form, piling on more than 1000 Test runs at an average of 81.
While it will come as a blow given he takes immense pride in his batting prowess, Smith's ranking is far from his biggest worry.
His reputation has been irreparably tarnished, his hold on the captaincy is extremely tenuous and several lucrative sponsorships could be at risk.
Already, Smith's image has disappeared from the website of breakfast cereal Weet-Bix as the brand's owner consider the future of their relationship with him.
The shamed batsman has also stepped down as captain of Indian Premier League franchise Rajasthan Royals and is no certainty to take up the $2.4 million deal that is the most profitable of his career.
TEST BATTING RANKINGS
* 1. Steve Smith (938 points)
* 2. Virat Kohli (912)
* 3. Kane Williamson (878)
* 4. Joe Root (870)
* 5. David Warner (828)
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