South Africa beat Pakistan to move above England in the rankings (Picture: Getty)

South Africa completed an emphatic whitewash victory over Pakistan to move above England in the ICC Test rankings.

Faf du Plessis’ side won the opening Test in Centurion by six wickets, before taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series in Cape Town.

Pakistan battled hard in the finale but were once again outplayed by the South Africans, who wrapped up a whitewash win to surpass England in the ICC rankings.

Mickey Arthur’s Pakistan team remain seventh in the rankings but were unable to close the gap on sixth-placed Sri Lanka.

Fast bowler Vernon Philander took six wickets in the final two Tests to move up to third in the bowling rankings.

England, who beat Sri Lanka 3-0 before Christmas, will drop to fourth unless they defeat West Indies in the Caribbean. However, they will not return to second even if they win all three Tests.

Joe Root’s side played their first warm-up match on Tuesday and the skipper scored 87 as England were bowled out for 284. Ben Stokes also scored a half-century.

The first Test starts next Wednesday at the Kensington Oval.

ICC Test rankings - Team

1. India (116)

2. South Africa (110)

3. New Zealand (107)

4. Australia (104)

5. England (104)

6. Sri Lanka (89)

7. Pakistan (88)

8. West Indies (77)

9. Bangladesh (69)

10. Zimbabwe (13)

ICC Test rankings - Batting

1. Virat Kohli - India (922)

2. Kane Williamson - New Zealand (897)

3. Cheteshwar Pujara - India (881)

4. Steve Smith - Australia (874)

5. Henry Nicholls - New Zealand (763)

5. Joe Root - England (763)

ICC Test rankings - Bowling

1. Kagiso Rabada - South Africa (882)

2. Pat Cummins - Australia (878)

3. James Anderson - England (862)

3. Vernon Philander - South Africa (809)

5. Ravindra Jadeja - India (794)

ICC Test rankings - All-rounder

1. Jason Holder - West Indies (439)

2. Shakib Al Hasan - Bangladesh (415)

2. Ravindra Jadeja - India (387)

4. Ben Stokes - England (357)

5. Vernon Philander - South Africa (341)