Younus and Yasir shine in the latest ICC rankings

by Naresh Gaur
Naresh Gaur
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The cricket season is in full swing as all 10 test teams are out on the ground, fighting for glory. India played New Zealand and now are awaiting England, who are busy with their Bangladesh tour at the moment. Pakistan are in the middle of the test series against West Indies and South Africa and Sri Lanka play Australia and Zimbabwe respectively. There is a lot at stake and the ICC makes sure the performance of all the players involved does not go unnoticed and unawarded.

The latest ICC Test Test Player Rankings are out and a lot of changes have taken place. Ranks have been gained, lost and changed with the latest round of evaluation. Let us have a look at the players who have managed to shuffle the table and make a mark on the world stage of Cricket:

ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen:

Pakistan batsman Younus Khan has moved up three places to second position in the latest MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen following his side’s 133 runs victory over the West Indies in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday that has helped it take a decisive 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Younus has leapfrogged New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, England batsman Joe Root and South Africa’s Hashim Amla with innings of 127 and 29 not out. Younus hasn’t been ranked as high as second since July 2009. Younus now leads Root by eight points but trails Australia’s number-one ranked Steve Smith by 46 points.

Younus has been joined inside the top 10 by captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who has gained one place to take 10th position after scoring 96 in his only innings of the match, while Asad Shafiq is the other Pakistan batsman to rise in the rankings (14th, up by two places) following his two half-centuries.

For the West Indies, stylish left-hander Darren Bravo has slipped out of the top 20 but Kraigg Brathwaite has moved up three places to 32nd rank following scores of 21 and 67, while Jermaine Blackwood has gained 11 places to 41st rank following contributions of eight and 95.

England’s engrossing 22-run win over Bangladesh in the opening Test in Chittagong that ended on Monday, has seen wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow move up two slots to a career-best 11th place with scores of 52 and 47. Moeen Ali has also reached a career-high 26th rank as his scores of 68 and 14 have helped him move up two slots.

England’s Ben Stokes has made a huge mark on these rankings as he has not only gained eight positions to reach 36th in the batting rankings with scores of 18 and 85, but has also moved up four slots to 23rd rank among bowlers after grabbing six wickets in the match. The Yorkshireman has also reached a career-best fourth rank in the all-rounders’ list after gaining three places and is now just 11 points behind Ali, who is England’s highest-ranked all-rounder in third place.

For Bangladesh, left-handed opener Tamim Iqbal has moved up two slots to reach 24th position with scores of 78 and nine, while debutant Sabbir Rahman has entered the top 100 in 92nd position with innings of 19 and 64 not out.

battingbatting1ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers:

In the MRF Tyres Player Rankings for Test Bowlers, which is led by India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah’s match haul of 10 for 210 in Abu Dhabi has seen him return to the top five. Yasir has joined England’s Stuart Broad in fifth place, who has dropped one place after claiming just two Bangladesh wickets in Chittagong.

Pakistan’s Rahat Ali and West Indies’ Shanon Gabriel have achieved career-high rankings, while Bangladesh’s Mehedi Hasan has entered in 61st position after figures of six for 80 and one for 58 on his debut. Rahat took four wickets in Abu Dhabi which has help him rise four places to 31st, while Gabriel’s five for 96 and one for 36 have given him a lift of 10 places and he is now in 38th position.

Other bowlers to head in the right direction include, Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan in 15th (up by two places), England’s Ali in 27th (up by four places), Taijul Islam of Bangladesh in 36th (up by six places) and West Indies captain Jason Holder in 59th (up by two places).

balling        bowling

The player rankings will now be updated following the Sharjah Test between Pakistan and West Indies, scheduled to conclude on 3 November.

The Current ICC Rankings for Test Teams: 

Rank  Team              Points

  1.   India                 115
  2.   Pakistan            111
  3.   Australia           108
  4.   England            108
  5.   South Africa       96
  6.   Sri Lanka           95
  7.   New Zealand      91
  8.   West Indies       67
  9.   Bangladesh        57
  10. Zimbabwe           8

 

The Current ICC Rankings for Test All-Rounders (Top 5):

 

 Rank     (+/-)      Player           Team       Pts           Highest Rating

1             ( – )        R. Ashwin          Ind        451!        451 v NZ (Indore’16)

2             ( – )        S. Al Hasan        Ban       400         419 v Zim (Khulna’14)

3             ( – )        Moeen Ali           Eng       316 /*!    316 v Ban (Chittagong’16)

4             (+3)       Ben Stokes         Eng      305 /*!    305 v Ban  (Chittagong’16)

5             (-2)        Ravindra Jadeja   Ind       292*/*!   292 v NZ    (Indore’16)

 

*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