De Villiers Returns To The Top Of The World

South Africa’s AB de Villiers has surged to the top of the batting chart in the latest ICC Test Player Rankings, which were released on Tuesday following the conclusion of the Brisbane and Mohali Tests.

De Villiers had achieved the number-one batting position for the first time in March 2012 and last was at the summit earlier this year in January, before he was overtaken by Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara following his 203 against New Zealand in Wellington.

De Villiers scored 63 and 16 against India in the Mohali Test and has leapfrogged Australia captain Steven Smith, who scored 48 and one against New Zealand in Brisbane.

De Villiers now leads Smith by just one point but the rise of New Zealand’s Kane Williamson and David Warner of Australia means the top seven batsmen are now separated by just 44 points. This means there will potentially be further reshuffle at the top of the order, depending on how the remaining five Tests pan out.

Williamson scored 140 and 59, and has been rewarded with a jump of two places, which has put him in fifth position for the first time in his career. Warner’s two centuries in the Brisbane Test have also lifted him two places to seventh spot.

India’s Murali Vijay and South Africa’s Dean Elgar are the other top-ranked batsmen to achieve-career high rankings.

Vijay’s 75 and 47 has vaulted him eight places to 11th position, meaning that he has now become India’s highest-ranked batsman. Cheteshwar Pujara has gained five places following his contribution of 31 and 77 but he is two places behind Vijay in 13th spot.

Elgar has moved up four places to 34th and is one of four batsmen outside the top 20 to achieve career-best rankings, with the others being Adam Voges at 44th (up by five places), Joe Burns at 47th (up by 56 places) and Mark Craig at 57th (up by eight places).

Batsmen sliding in the latest rankings following the Brisbane and Mohali Tests include Virat Kohli at 16th (down by five places), Ross Taylor at 17th (down by four places), Ajinkya Rahane at 24th (down by three places), BJ Watling at 25th (down by two places) and Shikhar Dhawan at 38th (down by eight places).

In the ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers, Dale Steyn remains the number-one ranked bowler but following Ravichandran Ashwin’s five for 51 and three for 39, the India off-spinner has returned to the top five after rising three places.

Mitchell Starc’s four for 57 and two for 69 has helped the left-arm fast bowler achieve a career-best ranking of 13th after moving up seven places, while India’s left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja has rocketed 10 places to a career-high 21st position following match figures of eight for 76 that also earned him the player of the Mohali Test award.

Amit Mishra at 34th (up by three places), Imran Tahir at 51st (up by nine places) and Mitchell Marsh at 58th (up by 14 places) are the other bowlers to achieve career-best rankings.

There is no change in the list of top three all-rounders, which is still headed by Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh, though Starc has moved up two places to seventh and Jadeja has climbed10 places to 13th in what are career-high gains for both players.

ICC T20I Player Rankings (as on 10 November, after Brisbane and Mohali Tests)

Batsmen (top 10)

AB de Villiers
Royal Challengers Bangalore.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/royalchallengers/8685760126/in/photolist-9AVKLN-9DPeuu-9DPeBG-9DPftw-9DPecm-nh7quN-eewMSW-egEbyw-ebwUL5-egypAx-eer4x8-eer4Cx-ncR3SF-eer4A4-eewNsN-eewMJA-egVt9x-nhqY21-eh2dVq-eewMQQ-ehnfzG-ehgwDg-ehngmQ-egU3KH-egVsQM-bY3TUj-9BVfXu-9DPejj-9DLobH-dbxmrw-apkf3D-9DLmSX-arpHqW-ekvPgU-njFgpi-ekqkji-arpL9f-ekqbiv-njHv8q-egU45t-9AVKVN-9BSjKk-9AVL7C-eicsvn-bwxFG7-bQe9LR-egZNoU-bKeHbT-bzjB1E-bwxFK9

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Avge HS Ranking
1 (+1) AB de Villiers SA 891 51.92 935 v Aus at Port Elizabeth 2014
2 (-1) Steven Smith Aus 890 55.15 936 v Eng at Lord’s 2015
3 ( – ) Joe Root Eng 886 54.90 917 v Aus at Trent Bridge 2015
4 ( – ) Hashim Amla SA 870 52.00 907 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2013
5 (+2) Kane Williamson NZ 863! 47.19 863 v Aus at Brisbane 2015
6 (-1) Angelo Mathews SL 851 51.43 877 v NZ at Christchurch 2014
7 (+2) David Warner Aus 847 49.10 880 v Ind at Adelaide 2014
8 (-2) Younus Khan Pak 826 53.94 880 v SL at Lahore 2009
9 (-1) Alastair Cook Eng 803 47.47 874 v Ind at Kolkata 2012
10 ( – ) Misbah-ul-Haq Pak 764 48.89 842 v NZ at Abu Dhabi 2014

Selected Rankings (top 60)

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Avge HS Ranking
11 (+8) Murali Vijay Ind 738! 42.36 738 v SA at Mohali 2015
13 (+5) C. Pujara Ind 725 49.48 851 v SA at Durban 2013
15 ( – ) B. McCullum NZ 716 38.81 760 v SL at Christchurch 2014
16 (-5) Virat Kohli Ind 707 44.12 784 v NZ at Wellington 2014
17 (-4) Ross Taylor NZ 696 44.39 871 v WI at Hamilton 2013
20 (-4) Faf du Plessis SA 664* 48.25 710 v WI at Port Elizabeth 2014
24 (-3) Ajinkya Rahane Ind 636* 41.51 699 v SL at Colombo (PSS) 2015
25 (-2) BJ Watling NZ 627 39.95 644 v Eng at Headingley 2015
34 (+4) Dean Elgar SA 548*! 38.30 548 v Ind at Mohali 2015
35 (+2) Tom Latham NZ 547* 39.39 569 v Pak at Dubai 2014
38 (-8) Shikhar Dhawan Ind 539* 41.35 593 v SL at Galle 2015
42 (-2) JP Duminy SA 519 35.55 586 v SL at Galle 2014
44 (+5) Adam Voges Aus 508*! 56.50 508 v NZ at Brisbane 2015
47 (+56) Joe Burns Aus 467*! 57.66 467 v NZ at Brisbane 2015
51 (-3) R. Ashwin Ind 454 32.17 527 v Eng at Old Trafford 2014
57 (+8) Mark Craig NZ 427*! 42.81 427 v Aus at Brisbane 2015

Bowling (top 10)

Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Avge Econ HS Ranking
1 ( – ) Dale Steyn SA 902 22.56 909 v WI at Centurion 2014
2= ( – ) James Anderson Eng 846 28.96 847 v WI at Barbados 2015
( – ) Yasir Shah Pak 846*! 24.17 846 v Eng at Sharjah 2015
4 ( – ) Stuart Broad Eng 840 29.12 852 v Aus at Trent Bridge 2015
5 (+3) R. Ashwin Ind 797 27.54 808 v WI at Mumbai 2013
6 (-1) Trent Boult NZ 784 28.19 825 v Eng at Lord’s 2015
7 ( – ) Vernon Philander SA 769 22.08 912 v Ind at Johannesburg 2013
8 (-2) Mitchell Johnson Aus 767 28.10 849 v Pak at Dubai 2014
9 ( – ) Rangana Herath SL 751 29.49 851 v Pak at Colombo (SSC) 2014
10 (+1) Morne Morkel SA 698 29.66 776 v Aus at Cape Town 2011

Selected Rankings (top 60):

Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Avge Econ Highest Ranking
11 (-1) Tim Southee NZ 694 31.89 799 v WI at Jamaica 2014
13 (+7) Mitchell Starc Aus 652*! 31.03 652 v NZ at Brisbane 2015
17 ( – ) Nathan Lyon Aus 629 33.93 648 v Eng at Melbourne 2013
18 (-2) Josh Hazlewood Aus 625* 23.44 634 v Eng at Trent Bridge 2015
21 (+10) Ravindra Jadeja Ind 600*! 27.22 600 v SA at Mohali 2015
34 (+3) Amit Mishra Ind 436*! 35.21 436 v SA at Mohali 2015
40 (-1) Mark Craig NZ 399* 42.80 404 v Eng at Headingley 2015
42 ( – ) Umesh Yadav Ind 379* 38.95 412 v Aus at Melbourne 2014
47 (-6) Doug Bracewell NZ 366* 38.20 538 v WI at Jamaica 2012
51 (+9) Imran Tahir SA 358*! 42.16 358 v Ind at Mohali 2015
58 (+14) Mitchell Marsh Aus 306*! 30.83 306 v NZ at Brisbane 2015

All-rounders (top three)

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Highest Ranking
1 ( – ) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 384 419 v Zim at Khulna 2014
2 ( – ) R. Ashwin Ind 362 419 v WI at Mumbai 2013
3 ( – ) Vernon Philander SA 317*/ 376 v Aus at Cape Town 2014

De Villiers And Sangakkara Bring Fight For No.1 Batting Position To ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Quarter-Final

Top bowling spot firmly within Steyn’s and Starc’s sights; Shakib aims for Dilshan’s number-one all-rounders’ spot

AB de Villiers of South Africa and Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka have brought their battle for the coveted one-number batting spot in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI Batsmen to Sydney when the two will go head to head in the first quarter-final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.

De Villiers started the year leading Sangakkara by 76 ratings points and when the two players will take the field on Thursday, the South African will be leading the Sri Lankan by 38 ratings points. Both these outstanding cricketers are enjoying great form with de Villiers having scored 417 to date and Sangakkara leading the field with 496 runs, including four centuries.

While de Villiers has gained eight ratings points since the start of the tournament to enjoy his career-high rating of 899, Sangakkara has gained three places and 68 ratings points to sit on 861 ratings points, also his career-high rating.

Kumar Sangakkara
photo credit Dhammika Heenpella
https://www.flickr.com/photos/photosofsrilanka/4687346487/in/photolist-efEDrZ-efEDhH-fQrBvw-qijX8A-fQrC9L-mTN3yT-orNfNL-9p9yBA-efECZK-8RAHSL-8RxAMc-8RxBPg-go9Th-efLp5Q-efECn4-FBGe9-6YnbUz-6Yn9tD-efLoQb-efLo8S-efECgZ-e3N6Z2-e3N76X-e3TJyb-efLoLw-efLpfE-6Yr8pQ-6Yr7Gm-89cPU2-89g3Q9-6Yn5qp-efLoVq-efEC2B-efECag-efLpno-efEC6r-efECMV-efLomm-efLoDj-efLoGm-6YmVwP-6YmUec-89cSbP-89cSNK-e3TJQG-e3N6He-er4ZrM-9vn4X9-8RxzeZ-dcKqKT

Not too far behind the two batsmen are Hashim Amla of South Africa and India’s Virat Kohli.

Amla is in third position, 14 ratings points behind Sangakkara, while Kohli will go into Friday’s second quarter-final against Bangladesh in Melbourne trailing the South African by four ratings points.

While the four top batsmen have consolidated their positions in the latest batting chart, there are a few other batsmen who have made upward movements following their performances in the second half of the pool stage matches and will aim to continue to head in the right direction when they feature in the knockout stage.

Inside the top 10, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has gained two places and is now in eight spot while Australia’s Glenn Maxwell has jumped eight places to occupy a career-best ninth position, just 17 ratings points behind Dhoni.

Outside the top 10, Suresh Raina of India is in 17th position (up by three places), Pakistan’s Ahmed Shehzad 24th (up by two places), Australia’s David Warner 25th (up by five places), Mushfiqur Rahim of Bangladesh 27th (up by seven places), Australia’s Steven Smith 31st (up by six places), New Zealand’s duo of Martin Guptill 34th (up by eight places) and Corey Anderson 39th (up by eight places), Bangladesh’s Mahmudullah 44th (up by 17 places) and Shahid Afridi of Pakistan 44th (up by three places).

AB de Villiers
Royal Challengers Bangalore.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/royalchallengers/8685760126/in/photolist-9AVKLN-9DPeuu-9DPeBG-9DPftw-9DPecm-nh7quN-eewMSW-egEbyw-ebwUL5-egypAx-eer4x8-eer4Cx-ncR3SF-eer4A4-eewNsN-eewMJA-egVt9x-nhqY21-eh2dVq-eewMQQ-ehnfzG-ehgwDg-ehngmQ-egU3KH-egVsQM-bY3TUj-9BVfXu-9DPejj-9DLobH-dbxmrw-apkf3D-9DLmSX-arpHqW-ekvPgU-njFgpi-ekqkji-arpL9f-ekqbiv-njHv8q-egU45t-9AVKVN-9BSjKk-9AVL7C-eicsvn-bwxFG7-bQe9LR-egZNoU-bKeHbT-bzjB1E-bwxFK9

Zimbabwe’s former captain Brendan Taylor leads the batsmen who have gained places in the batting table but will not feature in the knockout stage.

Taylor, who is the second leading run-getter with 433 runs, has rocketed 13 places to claim 16th spot, while others include England’s pair of Jos Buttler in 22nd (up by six places) and Ian Bell 23rd (up by four places), Afghanistan’s Samiullah Shenwari 48th (up by four places) and Zimbabwe’s Sean Williams 49th (up by eight places).

In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI Bowlers, Dale Steyn of South Africa and Australia’s Mitchell Starc have Saeed Ajmal’s number-one ranking firmly within their sights. Steyn has gained one place to rise to second spot to trail the absent Pakistan off-spinner by just five ratings points.

Starc, who started the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in seventh spot, is now on a career-high third position after leading the bowlers’ list with 16 wickets. He is four ratings points behind Steyn and nine ratings points behind Saeed.

England’s James Anderson and Morne Morkel are the other bowlers inside the top 10 to improve their rankings. Anderson has gained one place to occupy sixth position while Morkel is 10th after rising two places.

New Zealand’s Trent Boult leads the charge of the other bowlers outside the top 10 when he has vaulted nine places to claim a career-best 15th position, thanks to his 15 wickets in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 to date.

Lasith Malinga of Sri Lanka has climbed six places to 27th after his 11 wickets in the series to date, West Indies captain Jason Holder has joined his Sri Lanka counterpart Angelo Mathews in 28th spot after taking nine wickets to date, India’s Umesh Yadav has climbed eight places to 34th after his 10 wickets to date and James Faulkner has leaped 12 places to 35th.

In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI All-rounders, Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan will try to reclaim the number-one spot from Tillakaratne Dilshan of Sri Lanka, who leads by 17 ratings points.

There are notable major changes inside the top 20 in the latest all-rounders’ rankings. Glenn Maxwell of Australia has joined India’s Ravindra Jadeja in seventh position by rising three places, Corey Anderson has broken into the top 10 for the first time by gaining seven places while Mahmudullah of Bangladesh is enjoying his career-best ranking of 14th after jumping nine places.

RELIANCE ICC ODI TEAM RANKINGS

There is no change to the Reliance ICC ODI Team Rankings as Australia continues to lead defending champion India by five ratings points. South Africa and Sri Lanka are separated by just four ratings points.

The side that tops the Reliance ICC ODI Team Rankings as on 31 March 2015, will receive an ODI shield as well as a cash award of USD$175,000, while the side finishing second will collect USD$75,000.

Forthcoming matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015:

Quarter-finals:

Wed 18 March – Sri Lanka v South Africa, Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG)
Thu 19 March – Bangladesh v India, Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)
Fri 20 March – Australia v Pakistan, Adelaide Oval
Sat 21 March – New Zealand v West Indies, Wellington Regional Stadium

Semi-finals:

Tue 24 March – SF1 – Winner QF1 (NZ v WI) v Winner QF3 (SL v SA), Eden Park, Auckland
Thu 26 March – SF2 – Winner QF2 (Aus v Pak) v Winner QF4 (BD v Ind), SCG, Sydney

Final:

Sun 29 March – Melbourne Cricket Ground

To find out exactly how the knockout stage matches of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 will affect the Rankings Table, please click here. The ODI table is updated after every match.

Reliance ICC ODI Team Rankings (as on 16 March, 2015, after pool stage matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015)

Rank Team Ratings points
1 Australia 121
2 India 116
3 South Africa 112
4 Sri Lanka 108
5 New Zealand 107
6 England 101
7 Pakistan 95
8 West Indies 93
9 Bangladesh 76
10 Zimbabwe 50
11 Ireland 44
12 Afghanistan 38

(Developed by David Kendix)

Reliance ICC ODI Player Rankings (as on 16 March, 2015, after pool stage matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015)

Batsmen

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Ave HS Rating

1 ( – ) AB de Villiers SA 899! 53.21 899 v UAE at Wellington 2015

2 ( – ) K. Sangakkara SL 861! 41.97 861 v Sco at Hobart 2015

3 (-1) Hashim Amla SA 847 56.09 901 v Eng at Trent Bridge 2012

4 ( – ) Virat Kohli Ind 843 52.26 886 v Ban at Fatullah 2014

5 ( – ) T. Dilshan SL 802! 39.82 802 v Sco at Hobart 2015

6 ( – ) Kane Williamson NZ 769 46.22 789 v Aus at Auckland 2015

7 ( – ) Shikhar Dhawan Ind 758 44.21 794 v SA at Melbourne 2015

8 (+2) MS Dhoni Ind 731 52.67 836 v Aus at Delhi 2009

9 (+8) Glenn Maxwell Aus 714! 34.21 714 v Sco at Hobart 2015

10 (-1) George Bailey Aus 708 42.02 867 v SA at Harare 2014

11 ( – ) Ross Taylor NZ 697 41.50 722 v Pak at Napier 2015

12 (-4) Aaron Finch Aus 696 37.36 743 v Eng at Melbourne 2015

13 ( – ) Misbah-ul-Haq Pak 686 43.48 744 v SL at Fatullah 2014

14 ( – ) Joe Root Eng 667 40.04 688 v SL at Colombo (RPS) 2014

15 ( – ) Angelo Mathews SL 666 40.47 707 v Eng at Colombo (RPS) 2014

16 (+13) Brendan Taylor Zim 659 34.82 667 v NZ at Napier 2012

17 (+3) Suresh Raina Ind 649 36.16 669 v Eng at Dharamsala 2013

18 (-6) Quinton de Kock SA 648 37.53 749 v Aus at Sydney 2014

19 (-3) Rohit Sharma Ind 646 38.56 684 v Aus at Melbourne 2015

20 (-2) B. McCullum NZ 645 30.67 685 v Eng at Auckland 2013

21 (-2) Faf du Plessis SA 642 35.55 703 v NZ at Bay Oval 2014

22 (+6) Jos Buttler Eng 631 32.00 633 v Ind at Perth 2015

23 (+4) Ian Bell Eng 629 37.87 702 v Ind at Edgbaston 2007

24 (+2) Ahmed Shehzad Pak 627 35.03 670 v Ban at Mirpur 2014

25= (-3) Shane Watson Aus 626 40.23 773 v SL at Hambantota 2011

(+5) David Warner Aus 626 35.10 634 v Afg at Perth 2015

27 (+7) M. Rahim Ban 621 30.03 627 v Eng at Adelaide 2015

28 (-5) David Miller SA 618 37.80 634 v Zim at Hamilton 2015

29= (-8) M. Jayawardene SL 614 33.45 738 v WI at Colombo (RPS) 2001

(-5) James Faulkner Aus 614* 44.05 628 v Eng at Perth 2015

Virat Kohli
photo credit Royal Challengers Bangalore
https://www.flickr.com/photos/royalchallengers/14071354889/in/photolist-9Hq7yu-9xYS5u-9yXmFM-8BBQJg-nrrnz4-nqfqS2-noW3bK-nFHC5p-nvGzj5-ncS1vW-ncRS4z-nu4Msd-ncQY3t-njoYxa-ngCmq5-ncS1H9-nu44fr-ncRb9f-9xC9B2-9BSt6i-9A9mCf-nDDocH-nu4RNr-nHW2zB-njttLR-9zPFoH-9GcE5c-9A9jL5-9BuSGp-9yfVYL-9E9ZmB-9BSnZF-9Hq7Y3-9Hq7Hh-9DNFrF-nhWzQJ-9Ugtdj-9zzS61-8CP8o4-9A9n8W-9BVhZd-9ycTDB-9F3yty-9DRvCG-9A6n1F-9zPDXB-nFbN54-9DRvQ1-9BSnEx-ngyfLm

Bowlers

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
1 ( – ) Saeed Ajmal Pak 722 22.18 4.13 810 v SA at Centurion 2013

2 (+1) Dale Steyn SA 717 25.30 4.79 746 v Ind at Durban 2013

3 (+2) Mitchell Starc Aus 713*! 18.62 4.83 713 v Sco at Hobart 2015

4 (-2) Sunil Narine WI 712 26.49 4.10 791 v SL at Jamaica 2013

5 (-1) Imran Tahir SA 699* 20.75 4.38 703 v WI at Sydney 2015

6 (+1) James Anderson Eng 670 29.22 4.92 719 v SA at The Oval 2013

7 ( – ) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 667 28.15 4.29 717 v Zim at Chittagong 2009

8 (-2) Mitchell Johnson Aus 666 25.39 4.85 724 v Ban at Darwin 2008

9 ( – ) Daniel Vettori NZ 659 31.50 4.10 788 v Eng at Durham 2008

10 (+2) Morne Morkel SA 658 24.04 4.89 717 v SL at East London 2012

11 ( – ) M. Shami Ind 650! 24.24 5.52 650 v Zim at Auckland 2015

12 (-2) M. Irfan Pak 634 29.10 4.86 641 v UAE at Napier 2015

13 (-1) Tim Southee NZ 619 29.93 5.18 638 v Eng at Wellington 2015

14 ( – ) Rangana Herath SL 618 31.91 4.41 703 v SA at Pallekele 2013

15 (+9) Trent Boult NZ 611*! 26.15 4.55 611 v Ban at Hamilton 2015

16 (-1) M. Hafeez Pak 610 35.01 4.06 769 v Ind at Kolkata 2013

17 (-1) R. Ashwin Ind 609 31.62 4.88 691 v SL at Hambantota 2012

18 (-1) B. Kumar Ind 604 36.76 4.61 657 v WI at Dharamsala 2014

19 (-1) Ravindra Jadeja Ind 601 32.97 4.83 738 v Zim at Bulawayo 2013

20 (-1) Steven Finn Eng 600 28.09 4.99 755 v NZ at Auckland 2013

21 (+1) James Tredwell Eng 599 27.76 4.75 646 v SL at Pallekele 2014

22= (-2) Clint McKay Aus 593 24.37 4.78 709 v Eng at Cardiff 2013

(-2) M. Mortaza Ban 593 30.50 4.68 653 v Zim at Mirpur 2009

24 (+1) Kyle Mills NZ 587 27.02 4.72 722 v Aus at Melbourne 2009

25 (-2) S. Senanayake SL 585 35.97 4.74 656 v NZ at Christchurch 2015

26 (+1) Shahid Afridi Pak 582 34.43 4.62 673 v Ban at Mirpur 2011

27 (+6) Lasith Malinga SL 579 27.25 5.22 675 v Ban at Colombo (RPS) 2007

28= (-3) Angelo Mathews SL 576 34.77 4.58 649 v Ind at Trinidad 2013

(+4) Jason Holder WI 576*! 30.28 5.54 576 v UAE at Napier 2015

30 ( – ) Ravi Rampaul WI 563 29.22 5.08 628 v Ind at Ahmedabad 2011

All-rounders

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points HS Rating

1 ( – ) T. Dilshan SL 415! 415 v Sco at Hobart 2015

2 ( – ) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 398 453 v Zim at Chittagong 2009

3 ( – ) Angelo Mathews SL 384 427 v Eng at Colombo (RPS) 2014

4 ( – ) M. Hafeez Pak 372 438 v Ind at Kolkata 2013

5 (+1) James Faulkner Aus 336*/! 336 v Sco at Hobart 2015

6 (-1) Shahid Afridi Pak 328 383 v Ban at Mirpur 2011

7= ( – ) Ravindra Jadeja Ind 300 378 v Eng at Edgbaston 2013

(+3) Glenn Maxwell Aus 300 /*! 300 v Sco at Hobart 2015

9 ( – ) Shane Watson Aus 265 433 v WI at St Lucia 2012

10 (+7) Corey Anderson NZ 260*/*! 260 v Ban at Hamilton 2015

*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

For more information, go to http://www.relianceiccrankings.com.

Australia Aims To Reduce South Africa’s Lead At The Top Of The Table

Sixth-ranked India can rise to as high as third

Download the Reliance ICC Rankings App via http://www.icc-cricket.com/mobile to predict the outcome of the series

The four-Test series between Australia and India gets underway in Adelaide on 9 December, with the host aiming to reduce South Africa’s lead at the top of the Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings, and India looking to improve its sixth position.

Australia is currently ranked second on 117 ratings points, seven points adrift of the Proteas, while India is 21 ratings points behind in sixth position, on 96 ratings points.

Michael Clarke’s men must win the series to maintain the side’s hold on the second position and thereby, close the gap with leader South Africa. If Australia is to win the series 4-0, it would close the gap on South Africa to four ratings points, with India dropping to seventh, while a 3-1 win will reduce the Proteas’ lead to six ratings points.

In contrast, a 4-0 win for the visitors would see them rise to 107 ratings points, one behind second-placed Australia. A 3-1 series victory, meanwhile, would see it join England on 104 points, although Alastair Cook’s side would hold a slender 0.4 point advantage when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point.

A 2-2 series deadlock will see both sides maintaining their pre-series rankings, although Australia would drop to 114 points while India will rise to 99 ratings points.

Number-one ranked South Africa will face West Indies in a three-match Test series that starts on 17 December at Centurion.

To find out exactly how the forthcoming series will affect the Test Rankings Table, please click here. The Test Rankings tables, unlike the ODI and T20I Test Rankings Table, is updated an end of the series.

Meanwhile, Australia opener David Warner in sixth place will start the series as the highest-ranked batsman from either side in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen. The left-hander is five ratings points adrift of South Africa’s Hashim Amla in sixth position.

In all, there are three Australia batsmen in the top 20, with Michael Clarke (11th) and Steven Smith (13th) also aiming for upwards movement.

Heading into the series, India’s highest-ranked batsmen are Cheteshwar Pujara (17th), Virat Kohli (27th) and MS Dhoni (30th).

In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers, Ryan Harris (second) is the highest ranked bowler, 54 points behind number-one ranked Dale Steyn of South Africa and two places ahead of his team-mate Mitchell Johnson (fourth).

India’s highest-ranked bowler is 28-year-old off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (12th), two rankings spots ahead of Australia’s Peter Siddle.

India’s Ashwin is in second position in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test All-rounders, 41 points adrift of Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan. ICC Cricketer of the Year Mitchell Johnson lies in fifth place, 15 points shy of England’s Stuart Broad.

Upcoming fixtures

Australia v India

9-13 Dec – 1st Test, Adelaide

17-21 Dec – 2nd Test, Brisbane

26-30 Dec – 3rd Test, Melbourne

6-10 Jan – 4th Test, Sydney

South Africa v West Indies

17-21 Dec – 1st Test, Centurion

26-30 Dec – 2nd Test, Port Elizabeth

2-6 Jan – 3rd Test, Cape Town

Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings (as on 7 December, ahead of Australia-India Test series)

Rank Team Rating

1 South Africa 124
2 Australia 117
3 England 104
4 Pakistan 103
5 Sri Lanka 101
6 India 96
7 New Zealand 94
8 West Indies 75
9 Bangladesh 32
10 Zimbabwe 18

(Developed by David Kendix)

Reliance ICC Test Player Rankings (as on 7 December, ahead of Australia-India Test series):

Batsmen

Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
1 K. Sangakkara SL 915 58.76 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
2 AB de Villiers SA 888 51.02 935 v Aus at Port Elizabeth 2014
3 S.Chanderpaul WI 887 53.10 901 v NZ at Napier 2008
4 Angelo Mathews SL 873! 52.65 873 v Pak at Colombo (SSC) 2014
5 Hashim Amla SA 863 51.32 907 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2013
6 David Warner Aus 858 47.47 875 v Pak at Dubai 2014
7 Younus Khan Pak 818 53.37 880 v SL at Lahore 2009
8 Joe Root Eng 789! 50.94 789 v Ind at The Oval 2014
9 Ross Taylor NZ 783 45.95 871 v WI at Hamilton 2013
10 Misbah-ul-Haq Pak 777 49.15 842 v NZ at Abu Dhabi 2014

Selected Rankings

Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
11 Michael Clarke Aus 755 50.59 900 v SL at Melbourne 2012
13 Steven Smith Aus 730 40.39 737 v SA at Cape Town 2014
17 C. Pujara Ind 691 49.26 851 v SA at Durban 2013
25 Chris Rogers Aus 623* 36.06 694 v Eng at Sydney 2014
27 Virat Kohli Ind 618 39.46 784 v NZ at Wellington 2014
30 MS Dhoni Ind 607 38.46 662 v SA at Kolkata 2010
35 Shane Watson Aus 574 36.25 729 v Eng at Perth 2010
36 Murali Vijay Ind 569 36.29 652 v Eng at Lord’s 2014
46 Ajinkya Rahane Ind 531* 39.88 612 v Eng at The Rose Bowl 2014
49 Brad Haddin Aus 518 34.20 637 v WI at Perth 2009
51 Rohit Sharma Ind 504* 48.90 578 v NZ at Wellington 2014
52 R. Ashwin Ind 503* 38.86 527 v Eng at Old Trafford 2014
64 Shikhar Dhawan Ind 429* 38.58 475 v NZ at Wellington 2014
79 Shaun Marsh Aus 373* 32.86 432 v SA at Centurion 2014
89 M. Johnson Aus 333 22.24 477 v Eng at Lord’s 2009
96 Mitchell Marsh Aus 316*! 41.00 316 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2014

Bowlers

Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
1 Dale Steyn SA 907 22.56 908 v Pak at Johannesburg 2013
2 Ryan Harris Aus 853 22.56 870 v SA at Cape Town 2014
3 Rangana Herath SL 851! 29.06 851 v Pak at Colombo (SSC) 2014
4 M. Johnson Aus 844 27.47 849 v Pak at Dubai 2014
5 James Anderson Eng 806 29.72 813 v Ind at Edgbaston 2011
6 V. Philander SA 785 21.57 912 v Ind at Johannesburg 2013
7 Stuart Broad Eng 774 29.90 783 v WI at Lord’s 2012
8 Kemar Roach WI 768! 25.98 768 v Ban at St Lucia 2014
9 Trent Boult NZ 762* 27.85 767 v Ind at Wellington 2014
10 Tim Southee NZ 744 30.67 799 v WI at Kingston 2014

Selected Rankings

Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
12 R. Ashwin Ind 710 28.65 808 v WI at Mumbai 2013
14 Peter Siddle Aus 691 30.20 816 v Eng at Old Trafford 2013
19 Ishant Sharma Ind 588 36.75 671 v WI at Dominica 2011
23 Nathan Lyon Aus 538 35.80 648 v Eng at Melbourne 2013
28 Ravindra Jadeja Ind 505* 30.37 570 v SA at Durban 2013
37 Shane Watson Aus 412* 31.95 633 v SA at Cape Town 2011
38 B. Kumar Ind 409* 30.25 443 v Eng at Old Trafford 2014
41 Mitchell Starc Aus 394* 35.34 432 v Eng at The Oval 2013
47 M. Shami Ind 361* 36.31 422 v NZ at Wellington 2014
88 Steven Smith Aus 181*! 48.00 181 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2014
97= Michael Clarke Aus 132* 37.93 265 v NZ at Wellington 2005
Varun Aaron Ind 132*! 47.37 132 v Eng at The Oval 2014

All-rounders

Rank Player Team Points HS Rating
1 Shakib Al Hasan Ban 398 419 v Zim at Khulna 2014
2 Ravichandran Ashwin Ind 357*/ 419 v WI at Mumbai 2013
3 Vernon Philander SA 348*/ 376 v Aus at Cape Town 2014
4 Stuart Broad Eng 296 382 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2012
5 Mitchell Johnson Aus 281 384 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.