After the Test series between South Africa and England culminated, there has been an update in the ICC Test rankings. South African star batsman Quinton de Kock had also jumped two places in the Test batting rankings while Vernon Philander, who retired after the England series, has maintained his position in the top five players’ list.
ICC Test Batting ranking – de Kock climbs the ladder:
In the updated Test rankings, Indian captain Virat Kohli has maintained the top position while the Australian cricketer Steven Smith is at No.3. Talking about new changes in the list, Joe Root has replaced Ajinkya Rahane from the eighth Position. Root has scored a double century against South Africa in the second Test.
Meanwhile, wicketkeeper-batsman de Kock is 11th on the impressive list.
Sri Lankan cricketer Kusal Mendis has a good outing against Zimbabwe. In two T20I matches, he scored 218 runs which have improved his ranking. He has moved to the 23rd position from 26th. England batsmen Ollie Pope (up six places to 55th) and Dom Sibley (up nine places to 67th) are among others to advance in the latest rankings.
Bowling and Allrounder ranking:
Indian bowler Mohammed Shami and England cricketer Josh Hazelwood have moved up to 9th and 10th place in the bowling rankings respectively. Mark Wood got the biggest elevation in the bowling ranking as he has moved up 19 places to 38th position among bowlers after his haul of nine for 100.
Talking about allrounders’ ranking, the West Indies player Jason Holder has maintained the position at No.1 in the ranking. While he is also at No.3 in the Test bowling rankings. Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin jumps to the fourth position.
Former South African cricketer Vernon Philander retires after fifth-ranked all-rounder and 11th among bowlers. At one time, he topped both the lists.
Allrounder ranking:
Meanwhile, the upcoming Test series is between India and New Zealand. Both the teams will play two Test matches starting from 21 February.