How long will England's cricketers stay No.1?

On the same weekend that Australia completed a 4-0 clean sweep of a star-studded India, England's No.1-ranked Test side crumbled to a series defeat against a rebuilding Pakistan team.

The contrasting results could be a sign of things to come in the battle for global Test dominance, or could just be a sign of the increasing competitiveness of international cricket.

For all the talk in recent years of the threats facing Test cricket, there are signs that we could be witnessing the most competitive era in Test history.

A game that has been dominated for a century by either Australia, England or the West Indies now boasts half a dozen nations that are capable of being (or at least beating) the world's best.

England rightfully remains the top dog, even after being spun out by a Pakistan team that has lost three of its best players to jail terms. But England might not be staying at the top of the tree for much longer if they can't find a way to bat on turning pitches.

They will face more trials by spin in Test tours of Sri Lanka and India this year. They also face the world's No.2 ranked team, South Africa, in July. There's a real risk that their stranglehold on the top ranking could slip in the next 12 months.

Former opener Geoff Boycott certainly doesn't rate his countrymen as standouts in world cricket at the moment. "Do not tell me this is the best England side ever, or is even fit to be No.1 in the world," he wrote in his column for London's Telegraph. "I do not believe that any other team play the slow turning ball as badly as England. They were clueless."

In the meantime, things are looking up for an Australian side who just months ago was embarrassed by South Africa and beaten by New Zealand. Since last summer's resounding defeat in the Ashes the Aussies have seemingly discovered a world-class bowling group, with half a dozen fast bowlers capable of both taking wickets and keeping things tight.

Australia's batting remains capable rather than consistent: Dave Warner and Ed Cowan complement each other well at the top of the order but are still a work in progress, while Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey are back in form but won't be around forever. On the bright side, Michael Clarke has hit career-best form and has finally remembered how to score runs at home, and the team's best batsman of recent years, Shane Watson, is still to return to the team.

Still, the recent batting collapses against the Proteas and Kiwis should not be forgotten, and some genuine middle-order challengers to the ageing Ponting and Hussey would be welcome.

And for all the impressiveness of Australia's 4-0 rout of apparent powerhouses India, it's worth remembering England achieved the same feat last year.

For his part, former England captain Michael Vaughan – a man who tasted his fair share of success against Australian bowlers – believes the new-look Aussie pace attack has nothing on England's.

"Aussies have the best seam attack in the world... #myarse," Vaughan tweeted during the fourth Test. "South Africa and England have better seam bowling attacks IMO… In fact England have 2 better seam bowling attacks."

Both teams will have the chance to prove their worth over the next 18 months. While England tackles three more tough series this year, Australia will embark on a schedule seemingly custom-built to lead into the 2013 Ashes. The new-look Australians take off for the West Indies for their next Test series, then host South Africa and Sri Lanka next summer, before a tour of India and then England. By that point, the Ashes could well become a battle for the No.1 ranking.

Of course, there are other genuine candidates for Test cricket's top spot – arguably more than ever before.

"I think this team has the capacity to become the world's best team," Pakistan coach Mohsin Khan said this week. "Our target should be to gradually come in the top three in both Tests and one-day cricket, and then gradually go to world number one."

A statement like that would have seemed bizarre a month ago, considering the multitude of off-field issues facing Pakistan cricket, but after such a dominant series against the world No.1 there's no reason why Pakistan shouldn't aim to be the world's best. They are certainly the best team on the subcontinent at the moment.

With the largest cricket-loving population on the planet, India could become the dominant force in Test cricket if its powerbrokers ever genuinely set that target as its goal. But so long Twenty20 continues to make millions for India's cricket board it's hard to see that nation's priorities changing – and with no Test cricket for seven months the Indians won't be climbing the rankings any time soon. With several legends on their last legs, hopefully a new generation of Indian cricketers will get its chance at Test level by then.

Perennial bridesmaids South Africa currently sit second in the rankings and travel to England in July. Led by classy batsman AB de Villiers, the evergreen Jacques Kallis, champion paceman Dale Steyn and dazzling rookie speedsters Marchant de Lange and Vernon Philander (South Africa's equivalent of Pat Cummins and James Pattinson), the Proteas are not far away from challenging for top spot.

The new-found competitiveness in Test cricket – in which New Zealand can beat Australia on its home turf and Pakistan can dominate against the world's best – makes it all the more disappointing that the ICC has shelved plans for a Test Championship tournament until 2017 (due to fears the event would attract less television revenue than the existing Champions Trophy one-day tournament).

One day, a regular tournament every four years could definitively decide the kings of Test cricket, in the same way the World Cup decides the one-day champion. A genuine Test Championship would also add some much-needed context to the ICC's Test ranking system, providing some added incentive for teams to climb the ladder.

Until then, when it comes to Test bragging rights, Australian and English fans will have to settle for the Ashes.