The latest update to the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings caused a lot of changes at the top, and a new No.1 ODI bowler has been named.
Even though Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne is still the best batter in Tests, his lead at the top has shrunk now that New Zealand’s home series against Sri Lanka is over.
The Black Caps won the second Test in Wellington by an easy innings and 58 runs, completing a 2-0 sweep of the series. Former captain and veteran batter Kane Williamson once again stood out and was named Player of the Series.
Williamson scored an unbeaten 121 runs to help his team win the first Test in Christchurch. In the second Test, he scored a brilliant 215 runs in the first innings to put his team in a strong position.
It was Williamson’s sixth double ton of his career. Virat Kohli, the former captain of India, is the only other current player with more Test scores over 200 than Williamson. Kohli has seven.
Williamson is now second on the list of Test batters, thanks to his consistency. This is based on the latest rankings update.
Williamson’s rating went up by 51 points in the weekly update. He now has a total of 883 points and is only 32 points behind Labuschagne in first place. The 32-year-old is trying to get back to the No. 1 spot he held after New Zealand won the 2021 ICC World Test Championship final.
As a result, Steve Smith (currently in third place), Joe Root (currently in fourth place), Babar Azam (currently in fifth place), and Travis Head (now in sixth place) all fall one spot. Rohit Sharma’s slot in the top 10 has been replaced in the rankings by Dimuth Karunaratne (10), the captain of Sri Lanka, who made three half-centuries during the series against New Zealand.
There has also been a lot of change in the latest ODI Player Rankings. This is because a lot of series have just ended or are still going on before the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup later this year.
Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head went after India’s fast bowler Mohammed Siraj hard in the second ODI match of their series with India. As a result, Siraj fell from the top of the rankings for ODI bowlers.
Josh Hazlewood, an Australian seamer who isn’t in the current series in India, is back in first place, ahead of Trent Boult, a left-armer from New Zealand. Siraj, who is in third place, is now tied with Mitchell Starc, who is in good form.
West Indies fast bowler Alzarri Joseph moves up to 11th place on the ODI bowling rankings after a good series against South Africa. Teammate Akeal Hosein also moves up a lot, moving up four spots to 20th.
At the top of the ODI batting rankings, Pakistan captain Babar Azam still has a good lead, but a group of South African players have made up a lot of ground on the powerful right-hander.
Heinrich Klaasen moves up 13 spots to 30th after hitting a brilliant century in the Proteas’ impressive win over the West Indies in the third and final match of the series in Potchefstroom. Temba Bavuma moves up 17 spots to 33rd after his big knock in the second game in East London.
