Sangakarra returns to top of Test Batting Rankings

Despite 2-0 series defeat, Sangakarra’s knocks of 203 and five have seen him replace South Africa’s AB de Villiers at the top of the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen, where he is one point clear on 909 points.

Kane Williamson of New Zealand has jumped seven places to a career-best ranking of seventh in the batting rankings following his scores of 69 and 242 not out. In achieving his highest Test score to date, Williamson also passed the 3,000 runs mark, reaching 3,034 runs in 39 Tests.

Following South Africa’s eight-wicket victory over West Indies in Cape Town, Marlon Samuels has vaulted seven places to 31st in the batting rankings after knocks of 43 and 74. Dean Elgar has also moved up two places to a career high 48th, while other upwards movers following this Test, which helped the Proteas secure a 2-0 series win, include Denesh Ramdin (up three places to 59th) and Leon Johnson, who is the highest climber, moving up 25 places to a career-high 70th after scores of 54 and 44.

Meanwhile, following Saturday’s drawn Test in Sydney that ensured a 2-0 series victory over India, Australia captain Steven Smith has leap-frogged Angelo Mathews into a career-high fourth place in the batting table after scores of 117 and 71. For India, Virat Kohli moved up three places to 12th after scores of 147 and 46, while Australia opener Chris Rogers has moved up six places into 18th position after scores of 95 and 56.

In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers, New Zealand’s Trent Boult returned match figures of four for 130 runs to help his side to victory over Sri Lanka and improve his ranking by one place to sixth on 795 points, nine adrift of Australia’s Mitchell Johnson.

India’s Mohammed Shami has risen seven places to a career-high 31st place after taking match figures of six for 145 runs, while Australia’s Mitchell Starc has moved up nine places to 33rd after returning five wickets for 142 runs. Amongst the other bowlers from the Sydney Test are Australia duo Shane Watson and Josh Hazlewood, up to 38th and a career-high 46th respectively.

New Zealand’s Doug Bracewell has moved up nine places to 39th, with Sri Lanka’s Seranga Lakmal moving up two places to a career-high 48th. South Africa’s Dale Steyn still heads the bowling rankings and holds a commanding 79 points lead over second-placed Ryan Harris.

Meanwhile, Australia’s Johnson has also dropped a spot and thus swaps places with England’s Stuart Broad in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test All-rounders, with the Australian left-arm speedster now lying in fifth spot. Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan remains the number-one ranked all-rounder.

Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings (as on 11 January, after Australia-India, New Zealand-Sri Lanka and South Africa-West Indies Test series)

1.      South Africa               124

2.      Australia                     119

3.      England                      104

4.      Pakistan                      103

5.      New Zealand              99

6.      Sri Lanka                    96

7.      India                           93

8.      West Indies                76

9.      Bangladesh                 32

10.  Zimbabwe                   18

(Developed by David Kendix)

Reliance ICC Test Player Rankings (as on 11 January, after Australia-India, New Zealand-Sri Lanka and South Africa-West Indies Test series)

Batsmen

Rank     (+/-)         Player                  Team     Points    `Ave        HS Rating

   1           (+1)         K. Sangakkara     SL           909        58.66     938 v Eng at Kandy 2007

   2           (-1)          AB de Villiers        SA           908        52.09     935 v Aus at Port Elizabeth 2014

   3           ( - )          Hashim Amla       SA           891        52.78     907 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2013

   4           (+1)         Steven Smith        Aus         873!       52.36     873 v Ind at Sydney 2015

   5           (-1)          Angelo Mathews  SL           841        51.50     877 v NZ at Christchurch 2014

   6           (+7)         Kane Williamson NZ          839!       45.96     839 v SL at Wellington 2015

   7           (-1)          S.Chanderpaul     WI          834        52.33     901 v NZ at Napier 2008

   8           (-1)          Younus Khan       Pak         818        53.37     880 v SL at Lahore 2009

   9           (-1)          David Warner       Aus         805        48.20     880 v Ind at Adelaide 2014

  10         (-1)          Joe Root                Eng         789!       50.94     789 v Ind at The Oval 2014

Selected Rankings

Rank     (+/-)       Player                  Team     Points    Ave        HS Rating

  12         (+3)         Virat Kohli            Ind          774        46.30     784 v NZ at Wellington 2014

  18         (+6)         Chris Rogers         Aus         677*      39.35     694 v Eng at Sydney 2014

  31         (+7)         Marlon Samuels  WI          608        35.72     672 v Zim at Bridgetown 2013

  38         (+11)      B-John Watling    NZ          563        37.57     574 v WI at Port-of-Spain 2014

  48         (+2)         Dean Elgar            SA           506*!    37.65     506 v WI at Cape Town 2015

  50         (+3)         D. Chandimal       SL           497*      44.08     571 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2013

  53         (+5)         Rohit Sharma       Ind          487*      41.37     578 v NZ at Wellington 2014

  59         (+3)         Denesh Ramdin   WI          450        26.70     493 v NZ at Bridgetown 2014

  60         (+4)         Shaun Marsh        Aus         446*!    35.57     446 v Ind at Sydney 2015

  70         (+25)      Leon Johnson       WI          409*!    39.28     409 v SA at Cape Town 2015

  79         (+1)         M Johnson            Aus         362        23.06     477 v Eng at Lord's 2009

  83         (+9)         L. Thirimanne      SL           343*      26.70     359 v Ban at Galle 2013

  89         (+3)         H. Rutherford       NZ          328*      26.96     454 v Eng at Wellington 2013

  94         (+1)         Ryan Harris          Aus         309*!    21.53     309 v Ind at Sydney 2015

  95         (+17)      J. Blackwood        WI          307*      34.71     390 v NZ at Port-of-Spain 2014

Bowlers

Rank     (+/-)         Player                  Team     Points    Ave        HS Rating

   1           ( - )          Dale Steyn            SA           905        22.55     909 v WI at Centurion 2014

   2           ( - )          Ryan Harris          Aus         826        23.52     870 v SA at Cape Town 2014

   3           ( - )          Rangana Herath  SL           807        29.57     851 v Pak at Colombo (SSC) 2014

   4           (+2)         James Anderson  Eng         806        29.72     813 v Ind at Edgbaston 2011

   5           ( - )          M. Johnson           Aus         804        27.84     849 v Pak at Dubai 2014

   6           (+1)         Trent Boult           NZ          795        27.39     805 v SL at Christchurch 2014

   7           (-3)          V. Philander          SA           780        21.95     912 v Ind at Johannesburg 2013

   8           ( - )          Stuart Broad         Eng         774        29.90     783 v WI at Lord's 2012

   9           (+1)         Kemar Roach       WI          759        25.98     774 v SA at Centurion 2014

  10         (-1)          Tim Southee         NZ          743        30.61     799 v WI at Kingston 2014

Selected Rankings

Rank     (+/-)       Player                      Team     Points    Ave        HS Rating

  19         (+1)         Ishant Sharma     Ind          574        37.30     671 v WI at Dominica 2011

  31         (+7)         M. Shami              Ind          467*!    36.14     467 v Aus at Sydney 2015

  33         (+9)         Mitchell Starc       Aus         446*!    35.44     446 v Ind at Sydney 2015

  38         (+5)         Shane Watson      Aus         412*      33.09     633 v SA at Cape Town 2011

  39         (+9)         Doug Bracewell    NZ          409*      35.10     538 v WI at Kingston 2012

  46         (+7)         Josh Hazlewood  Aus         370*!    29.33     370 v Ind at Sydney 2015

  48         (+2)         Suranga Lakmal  SL           363*!    48.28     363 v NZ at Wellington 2015

  51         (+7)         Mark Craig           NZ          349*!    39.58     349 v SL at Wellington 2015

  58         (+5)         D. Prasad               SL           303*!    49.37     303 v NZ at Wellington 2015

  71         (+19)      Jimmy Neesham  NZ          260*!    32.81     260 v SL at Wellington 2015

  86         (+14)      Nuwan Pradeep   SL           193*!    57.09     193 v NZ at Wellington 2015

  77         (+5)         Jason Holder        WI          136*!    39.80     136 v SA at Cape Town 2015

  99         (RE)        Suresh Raina        Ind          135*      46.38     253 v WI at Dominica 2011

All-rounders

Rank     (+/-)         Player                  Team     Points    HS Rating

   1           ( - )          Shakib Al Hasan Ban        398        419 v Zim at Khulna 2014

   2           ( - )          V. Philander          SA           341*/    376 v Aus at Cape Town 2014

   3           ( - )          R. Ashwin              Ind          318*/    419 v WI at Mumbai 2013

   4           (+1)         Stuart Broad         Eng         296        382 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2012

   5           (-1)          M. Johnson           Aus         291        384 v Eng at Cardiff 2009

*indicates provisional rating; a batsman qualifies for a full rating after a minimum of 40 started innings; a bowler qualifies for a full rating after he has conceded 1,500 runs.

!indicates career-highest rating