Williamson head and shoulders clear in list
No New Zealander has ever compiled more ranking points than the test skipper
Kane Williamson’s 238 in the second test against Pakistan has helped him reach the best ever-rating points by a New Zealand player while consolidating his position at the top of the men’s test batting rankings.
Williamson, named player of the series after leading his side to an innings and 176 run win and a 2-0 victory in the two-test series, has reached 919 rating points, bettering his own mark of 915 in December 2018.
ICC Cricket Hall of Famer Sir Richard Hadlee is the only other player from New Zealand to go past the 900-point mark, reaching a career-high 909 points in bowling in December 1985.
In the latest rankings update that includes the second test between South Africa and Sri Lanka in Johannesburg and the third test between Australia and India in Sydney, Steve Smith has leapfrogged Virat Kohli to second position after scores of 131 and 81 while Dean Elgar has moved to 13th position with knocks of 127 and 31 not out.
In other movements for New Zealand players, Henry Nicholls has gained three places to reach ninth among batsmen after his innings of 157 while fast bowler Kyle Jamieson’s match haul of 11-117 lifted him seven places to a career-best 21st. With 36 test wickets so far,
Jamieson is also fifth among rounders after only six tests.
Azhar Ali’s 93 and 37 helped him advance him seven places to 18th
allposition and his compatriot Mohammad Rizwan’s first-innings half-century helped him gain 10 places to reach 37th position.
The drawn Sydney test saw Marun Labuschagne consolidate the fourth position with a career-best 866 rating points after scores of 91 and 73 while fast bowler Josh Hazlewood gained three places to reach fifth position with four wickets in the match.
For India, Cheteshwar Pujara’s knocks of 50 and 77 have taken him from eighth to 10th position and Rishabh Pant’s scores of 36 and 97 helped him gain 19 places to reach 26th position. Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin have gained after their fighting knocks, as has Shubman Gill.