New king of world batting
Williamson shoots ahead of Virat Kohli, Steve Smith to claim top spot in men’s ICC Test batting rankings
Wellington: Champion New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson has climbed to the top of the men’s International Cricket Council Test batting rankings to rubber-stamp an exceptional summer.
The Black Caps skipper has surged to a ranking of 890 and in so doing overtaken India ace Virat Kohli (879) and Australia star Steve Smith (877) to own the top spot for the first time since 2015.
The return to the pinnacle is a reward for Williamson’s brilliance with the blade against the West Indies and Pakistan in December, against whom he averaged 133.66 and notched two centuries, including a career-high knock of 251.
Since the beginning of 2020, the right-hander has averaged 83 against India, the West Indies and Pakistan.
Smith occupied the number-one ranking for 313 days of 2020, and the throne was Kohli’s for 51 days.
The ICC’s year-ending update to its rankings factored the first Test between New Zealand and Pakistan in Mt Maunganui , the first Test between South Africa and Sri Lanka in Centurion and the second Test between Australia and India in Melbourne.
And in events that aided Williamson’s move to the top, the second Test of the BorderGavaskar Trophy series saw Smith make just zero and eight, while Kohli departed Australia after the opening Test for the birth of his first child.
Instead of basking in his own excellence, Williamson took the opportunity presented by his latest achievement to praise Kohli and Smith.
“Those two players are the best, so for me to sneak up in some way is very surprising and humbling,” Williamson said in an interview with the ICC.
“But at the same time I’m sure there are other rankings somewhere that quite clearly state the success of those two.
“Year in and year out those two players, in all formats, are moving the game forward, and I am really fortunate to be playing against these guys.”
Williamson was this week also named in the ICC’s men’s Test team of the decade, with the right-hander slotting in at first drop and joining Alastair Cook, David Warner, Kohli, Smith and Kumar Sangakkara in the top six. Williamson will next pad up in Christchurch when New Zealand host Pakistan in the second and final Test of their series, beginning tomorrow.