Sri Lanka star Kumar Sangakarra has returned to the top of the Reliance ICC Test Players Rankings following the completion of the second Test in Wellington, which host New Zealand won by 193 runs.
Despite 2-0 series defeat, Sangakarra’s knocks of 203 and five have seen him replace South Africa’s AB de Villiers at the top of the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen, where he is one point clear on 909 points.
Kane Williamson of New Zealand has jumped seven places to a career-best ranking of seventh in the batting rankings following his scores of 69 and 242 not out. In achieving his highest Test score to date, Williamson also passed the 3,000 runs mark, reaching 3,034 runs in 39 Tests.
Following South Africa’s eight-wicket victory over West Indies in Cape Town, Marlon Samuels has vaulted seven places to 31st in the batting rankings after knocks of 43 and 74. Dean Elgar has also moved up two places to a career high 48th, while other upwards movers following this Test, which helped the Proteas secure a 2-0 series win, include Denesh Ramdin (up three places to 59th) and Leon Johnson, who is the highest climber, moving up 25 places to a career-high 70th after scores of 54 and 44.
Meanwhile, following Saturday’s drawn Test in Sydney that ensured a 2-0 series victory over India, Australia captain Steven Smith has leap-frogged Angelo Mathews into a career-high fourth place in the batting table after scores of 117 and 71. For India, Virat Kohli moved up three places to 12th after scores of 147 and 46, while Australia opener Chris Rogers has moved up six places into 18th position after scores of 95 and 56.
In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers, New Zealand’s Trent Boult returned match figures of four for 130 runs to help his side to victory over Sri Lanka and improve his ranking by one place to sixth on 795 points, nine adrift of Australia’s Mitchell Johnson.
India’s Mohammed Shami has risen seven places to a career-high 31st place after taking match figures of six for 145 runs, while Australia’s Mitchell Starc has moved up nine places to 33rd after returning five wickets for 142 runs. Amongst the other bowlers from the Sydney Test are Australia duo Shane Watson and Josh Hazlewood, up to 38th and a career-high 46th respectively.
New Zealand’s Doug Bracewell has moved up nine places to 39th, with Sri Lanka’s Seranga Lakmal moving up two places to a career-high 48th. South Africa’s Dale Steyn still heads the bowling rankings and holds a commanding 79 points lead over second-placed Ryan Harris.
Meanwhile, Australia’s Johnson has also dropped a spot and thus swaps places with England’s Stuart Broad in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test All-rounders, with the Australian left-arm speedster now lying in fifth spot. Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan remains the number-one ranked all-rounder.
Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings (as on 11 January, after Australia-India, New Zealand-Sri Lanka and South Africa-West Indies 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 11 January, after Australia-India, New Zealand-Sri Lanka and South Africa-West Indies Test series)
Batsmen
Rank (+/-) Player Team Points `Ave HS Rating
1 (+1) K. Sangakkara SL 909 58.66 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
2 (-1) 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 (+1) Steven Smith Aus 873! 52.36 873 v Ind at Sydney 2015
5 (-1) Angelo Mathews SL 841 51.50 877 v NZ at Christchurch 2014
6 (+7) Kane Williamson NZ 839! 45.96 839 v SL at Wellington 2015
7 (-1) S.Chanderpaul WI 834 52.33 901 v NZ at Napier 2008
8 (-1) Younus Khan Pak 818 53.37 880 v SL at Lahore 2009
9 (-1) David Warner Aus 805 48.20 880 v Ind at Adelaide 2014
10 (-1) Joe Root Eng 789! 50.94 789 v Ind at The Oval 2014
Selected Rankings
Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
12 (+3) Virat Kohli Ind 774 46.30 784 v NZ at Wellington 2014
18 (+6) Chris Rogers Aus 677* 39.35 694 v Eng at Sydney 2014
31 (+7) Marlon Samuels WI 608 35.72 672 v Zim at Bridgetown 2013
38 (+11) B-John Watling NZ 563 37.57 574 v WI at Port-of-Spain 2014
48 (+2) Dean Elgar SA 506*! 37.65 506 v WI at Cape Town 2015
50 (+3) D. Chandimal SL 497* 44.08 571 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2013
53 (+5) Rohit Sharma Ind 487* 41.37 578 v NZ at Wellington 2014
59 (+3) Denesh Ramdin WI 450 26.70 493 v NZ at Bridgetown 2014
60 (+4) Shaun Marsh Aus 446*! 35.57 446 v Ind at Sydney 2015
70 (+25) Leon Johnson WI 409*! 39.28 409 v SA at Cape Town 2015
79 (+1) M Johnson Aus 362 23.06 477 v Eng at Lord’s 2009
83 (+9) L. Thirimanne SL 343* 26.70 359 v Ban at Galle 2013
89 (+3) H. Rutherford NZ 328* 26.96 454 v Eng at Wellington 2013
94 (+1) Ryan Harris Aus 309*! 21.53 309 v Ind at Sydney 2015
95 (+17) 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 (+2) 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 (+1) Trent Boult NZ 795 27.39 805 v SL at Christchurch 2014
7 (-3) 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 (+1) Kemar Roach WI 759 25.98 774 v SA at Centurion 2014
10 (-1) Tim Southee NZ 743 30.61 799 v WI at Kingston 2014
Selected Rankings
Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
19 (+1) Ishant Sharma Ind 574 37.30 671 v WI at Dominica 2011
31 (+7) M. Shami Ind 467*! 36.14 467 v Aus at Sydney 2015
33 (+9) Mitchell Starc Aus 446*! 35.44 446 v Ind at Sydney 2015
38 (+5) Shane Watson Aus 412* 33.09 633 v SA at Cape Town 2011
39 (+9) Doug Bracewell NZ 409* 35.10 538 v WI at Kingston 2012
46 (+7) Josh Hazlewood Aus 370*! 29.33 370 v Ind at Sydney 2015
48 (+2) Suranga Lakmal SL 363*! 48.28 363 v NZ at Wellington 2015
51 (+7) Mark Craig NZ 349*! 39.58 349 v SL at Wellington 2015
58 (+5) D. Prasad SL 303*! 49.37 303 v NZ at Wellington 2015
71 (+19) Jimmy Neesham NZ 260*! 32.81 260 v SL at Wellington 2015
86 (+14) Nuwan Pradeep SL 193*! 57.09 193 v NZ at Wellington 2015
77 (+5) Jason Holder WI 136*! 39.80 136 v SA at Cape Town 2015
99 (RE) Suresh Raina Ind 135* 46.38 253 v WI at Dominica 2011
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 (+1) Stuart Broad Eng 296 382 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2012
5 (-1) M. Johnson Aus 291 384 v Eng at Cardiff 2009
*indicates provisional rating; a batsman qualifies for a full rating after a minimum of 40 started innings; a bowler qualifies for a full rating after he has conceded 1,500 runs.
!indicates career-highest rating
