Anderson set to become 13th Englishman to complete century of Tests, four wickets shy of becoming leading wicket-taker for his country
After an enthralling and exciting ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, the focus now shifts to the traditional format of the game when the West Indies and England go head to head in a three-Test series which starts in Antigua on Monday.
England is currently sitting in third place on 104 ratings points, while the West Indies is in eighth spot on 76 ratings points. This gap of 28 ratings points means England is expected to win the series convincingly, and because the rankings are weighted to reflect this difference, failure to win comfortably will mean Alastair’s Cook’s side will drop points.
A 1-0 series win for England will only help it to retain its pre-series ranking but a 1-1 draw will mean it will drop behind Pakistan in fourth position. A 2-0 win will earn England one ratings point, while it will move to 106 ratings points in case of a 3-0 series win.
In contrast, eighth-placed West Indies, currently 17 ratings points adrift of seventh-ranked India, will be aiming to narrow the gap with Virat Kohli’s side. A 3-0 whitewash will help the West Indies close the gap by eight ratings points on the rankings table with England dropping to fifth and just one ratings point ahead of sixth-ranked Sri Lanka (96).
A 2-0 series win will advance Denesh Ramdin’s men up seven rankings points to 83, with England slipping to fifth position on 98 ratings points. A 1-0 series win for the West Indies will mean it will move to 82 ratings points, while the West Indies will join England on 99 ratings points but will be ranked above the Black Caps when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point.
To find out exactly how the forthcoming series will affect the rankings table, please click here. The Test rankings table, unlike the ODI & T20I tables, is updated after the series.
Reliance ICC Player Rankings
Shivnarine Chanderpaul is the highest-ranked batsman in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen. The 40-year-old currently sits in seventh position on 834 points, five points adrift of New Zealand’s Kane Williamson. Chanderpaul’s highest Test ranking came in July 2008 when he occupied the top spot in the summit.
England’s Joe Root is on a career-high 10th position and will be looking to close the 16-point gap on Australia’s David Warner. Ian Bell (20th) is the only other batsman from either side inside the top 20, while the next highest-ranked batsmen from either side, who are likely to feature in the series are Cook (25th), Gary Ballance (29th), Marlon Samuels (31st) and Darren Bravo (32nd).
In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers, fourth-ranked James Anderson will become the 13th Englishman to complete a century of Tests when he will take the field for the Antigua Test. Anderson is just three wickets shy of equaling Ian Botham’s Test record haul of 383, a feat which the legendary all-rounder achieved in 102 Tests from 1977-92.
Anderson is currently on 806 points, one behind Sri Lanka’s Rangana Herath, and will be aiming to celebrate the Test by returning inside the top three.
Anderson is joined in the top 10 by his team-mate Stuart Broad who is sitting in eight position and will be eyeing to leapfrog South Africa’s Vernon Philander.
West Indies’ Kemar Roach is ranked ninth, 15 ratings points behind Broad, while left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn (20th) is the next highest-ranked bowler in the series.
Broad in fourth spot is the leading all-rounder on either side in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test All-rounders heading into the three-match series.
Upcoming Test fixtures
West Indies v England
13-17 Apr – 1st Test, Antigua
21-25 Apr – 2nd Test, Grenada
1-5 May – 3rd Test, Barbados
Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings (as on 10 April, ahead of West Indies-England Test series)
1. South Africa 124
2. Australia 119
3. England 104
4. Pakistan 103
5. New Zealand 99
6. Sri Lanka 96
7. India 93
8. West Indies 76
9. Bangladesh 32
10. Zimbabwe 18
(Developed by David Kendix)
Reliance ICC Test Player Rankings (as on 10 April, ahead of West Indies-England Test series)
Batsmen
Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
1 K. Sangakkara SL 909 58.66 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
2 AB de Villiers SA 908 52.09 935 v Aus at Port Elizabeth 2014
3 Hashim Amla SA 891 52.78 907 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2013
4 Steven Smith Aus 873! 52.36 873 v Ind at Sydney 2015
5 Angelo Mathews SL 841 51.50 877 v NZ at Christchurch 2014
6 Kane Williamson NZ 839! 45.96 839 v SL at Wellington 2015
7 S.Chanderpaul WI 834 52.33 901 v NZ at Napier 2008
8 Younus Khan Pak 818 53.37 880 v SL at Lahore 2009
9 David Warner Aus 805 48.20 880 v Ind at Adelaide 2014
10 Joe Root Eng 789! 50.94 789 v Ind at The Oval 2014
Selected Rankings
Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
20 Ian Bell Eng 652 45.00 822 v Ind at The Oval 2011
25 Alastair Cook Eng 643 46.02 874 v Ind at Kolkata 2012
29 Gary Ballance Eng 622*! 60.75 622 v Ind at The Oval 2014
31 Marlon Samuels WI 608 35.72 672 v Zim at Bridgetown 2013
32 Darren Bravo WI 593 43.60 709 v Aus at Port-of-Spain 2012
40 K. Brathwaite WI 556* 37.96 579 v SA at Port Elizabeth 2014
55 Jos Buttler Eng 455*! 66.66 455 v Ind at The Oval 2014
57 Denesh Ramdin WI 450 26.70 493 v NZ at Bridgetown 2014
68 Leon Johnson WI 409*! 39.28 409 v SA at Cape Town 2015
72= Jonny Bairstow Eng 382* 26.95 461 v Aus at Chester-le-St 2013
Stuart Broad Eng 382 24.09 505 v Ind at The Oval 2011
83 Ben Stokes Eng 341* 25.36 441 v Aus at Sydney 2014
91 J. Blackwood WI 307* 34.71 390 v NZ at Port-of-Spain 2014
Bowlers
Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
1 Dale Steyn SA 905 22.55 909 v WI at Centurion 2014
2 Ryan Harris Aus 826 23.52 870 v SA at Cape Town 2014
3 Rangana Herath SL 807 29.57 851 v Pak at Colombo (SSC) 2014
4 James Anderson Eng 806 29.72 813 v Ind at Edgbaston 2011
5 M. Johnson Aus 804 27.84 849 v Pak at Dubai 2014
6 Trent Boult NZ 795 27.39 805 v SL at Christchurch 2014
7 V. Philander SA 780 21.95 912 v Ind at Johannesburg 2013
8 Stuart Broad Eng 774 29.90 783 v WI at Lord’s 2012
9 Kemar Roach WI 759 25.98 774 v SA at Centurion 2014
10 Tim Southee NZ 743 30.61 799 v WI at Kingston 2014
Selected Rankings
Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
20 Sulieman Benn WI 556* 37.67 574 v Ban at St Lucia 2014
49 Ben Stokes Eng 342* 32.90 352 v Ind at Lord’s 2014
50 Liam Plunkett Eng 325* 37.46 335 v Ind at Lord’s 2014
58 Jerome Taylor WI 281* 36.07 717 v Eng at Kingston 2009
61 Chris Jordan Eng 274*! 33.06 274 v Ind at The Oval 2014
63 Shannon Gabriel WI 261* 37.32 360 v Zim at Dominica 2013
76 Marlon Samuels WI 188* 56.41 250 v Zim at Dominica 2013
85 Jason Holder WI 136*! 39.80 136 v SA at Cape Town 2015
All-rounders
Rank Player Team Points HS Rating
1 Shakib Al Hasan Ban 398 419 v Zim at Khulna 2014
2 V. Philander SA 341*/ 376 v Aus at Cape Town 2014
3 R. Ashwin Ind 318*/ 419 v WI at Mumbai 2013
4 Stuart Broad Eng 296 382 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2012
5 M. Johnson Aus 291 384 v Eng at Cardiff 2009
*indicates provisional rating; a batsman qualifies for a full rating after playing 40 Test innings; a bowler qualifies for a full rating when he reaches 100 Test wickets.
!indicates career-highest rating
