Steyn, who grabbed five for 33 in the second innings in what was his 26th five-wicket haul, finished with match figures of eight for 99 to regain the top slot.
After reclaiming the No.1 ranking in February 2014 against Australia at Centurion, the 33-year-old had enjoyed the top spot until a shoulder injury in the Durban Test against England in December 2015 limited his bowling. India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took advantage of Steyn’s absence and backed up by some strong individual performances, finished the year as the top-ranked bowler.
Steyn has leapfrogged Ashwin and top-ranked England pace bowler James Anderson to take the top slot, which he first occupied jointly with retired Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralidaran in April 2008.
Steyn has now been number-one for a record 263 Tests with Muralidaran coming second in the list at 214 weeks. In terms of days, Steyn has spent 2,320 days at the top, the most by any bowler since World War II.
Steyn’s compatriot fast bowlers - Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada – have also made significant gains in the latest bowlers’ rankings, which were released on Wednesday morning.
Philander, who took four wickets in the Centurion Test, has moved from 13th to 11th position, while Rabada has gained three places to rise to 27th position after grabbing five wickets in the match.
The good news for New Zealand is its fast bowler Neil Wagner has moved up one slot to ninth position following his six wickets in the match, including a first innings haul of five for 86.
In the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen, South Africa captain Faf du Plessis’s unbeaten century in the first innings has contributed in him moving up the ladder.
Du Plessis scored 112 not out and six in his two innings and has moved up nine places from 33rd rank to 24th rank. Wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock, who was adjudged player of the match for his knocks of 82 and 50 as well as six dismissals behind the wickets, have seen him move up 18 slots to 32nd rank.
Meanwhile, the 1-0 series win has pushed South Africa up two places to fifth in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings, while New Zealand has slipped two places to seventh.
South Africa is now on 96 points, while Sri Lanka and New Zealand are at 95 points each. However, Sri Lanka is ranked above the Black Caps in sixth place when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point.
MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings (as of 31 August, after the South Africa-New Zealand series)
Rank Team Points
1. Pakistan 111
2. India 110
3. Australia 108
4. England 108
5. South Africa 96 (+2)
6. Sri Lanka 95
7. New Zealand 95 (-2)
8. West Indies 67
9. Bangladesh 57
10. Zimbabwe 8
(Developed by David Kendix)
MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings (as of 31 August, after the South Africa-New Zealand series)
Batsmen (top 10)
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Avge Highest Rating
1 ( - ) Steve Smith Aus 906 58.55 936 v Eng at Lord's 2015
2 ( - ) Joe Root Eng 878 54.86 917 v Aus at Trent Bridge 2015
3 ( - ) K. Williamson NZ 876 51.08 893 v Aus at Perth 2015
4 ( - ) Hashim Amla SA 847 51.16 907 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2013
5 ( - ) Younus Khan Pak 845 53.72 880 v SL at Lahore 2009
6= (+1) Adam Voges Aus 802* 72.75 824 v SL at Galle 2016
( - ) AB de Villiers SA 802 50.46 935 v Aus at Port Elizabeth 2014
8 ( - ) Ajinkya Rahane Ind 785! 49.00 785 v WI at Trinidad 2016
9 (+1) David Warner Aus 772 48.63 880 v NZ at Perth 2015
10 (+1) Alastair Cook Eng 770 47.31 874 v Ind at Kolkata 2012
Other selected rankings
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Avge Highest Rating
14 (-5) Ross Taylor NZ 735 47.85 871 v WI at Hamilton 2013
24 (+9) Faf du Plessis SA 627 42.39 710 v WI at Port Elizabeth 2014
32 (+18) Q. de Kock SA 584*! 47.66 584 v NZ at Centurion 2016
29 ( - ) Dean Elgar SA 593 36.22 626 v Eng at Johannesburg 2016
30 (-2) B.J. Watling NZ 592 39.35 644 v Eng at Headingley 2015
Bowlers (top 10)
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Avge Highest Rating
1 (+2) Dale Steyn SA 878 22.24 909 v WI at Centurion 2014
2 (-1) James Anderson Eng 870 28.28 884 v SL at Durham 2016
3 (-1) R.Ashwin Ind 859 25.20 876 v WI at Antigua 2016
4 ( - ) Stuart Broad Eng 836 28.52 880 v SA at Johannesburg 2016
5 ( - ) Rangana Herath SL 831 28.71 851 v Pak at Colombo (SSC) 2014
6 ( - ) Yasir Shah Pak 806* 27.48 878 v Eng at Lord's 2016
7 ( - ) Mitchell Starc Aus 792! 27.36 792 v SL at Colombo (SSC) 2016
8 ( - ) Ravindra Jadeja Ind 773* 23.42 789 v SA at Delhi 2015
9 (+1) Neil Wagner NZ 760*! 29.12 760 v SA at Centurion 2016
10 (-1) Trent Boult NZ 733 29.32 825 v Eng at Lord's 2015
Other selected rankings
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Avge Highest Rating
11 (+2) V.Philander SA 723 22.09 912 v Ind at Johannesburg 2013
13 (-2) Morne Morkel SA 710 29.33 776 v Aus at Cape Town 2011
15 ( - ) Tim Southee NZ 656 32.63 799 v WI at Jamaica 2014
27 (+3) Kagiso Rabada SA 497*! 24.44 497 v NZ at Centurion 2016
36 ( - ) Doug Bracewell NZ 406* 38.83 538 v WI at Jamaica 2012
All-rounders (top five)
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts HS Rating
1 ( - ) R. Ashwin Ind 439! 439 v WI at Trinidad 2016
2 ( - ) S. Al Hasan Ban 384 419 v Zim at Khulna 2014
3 ( - ) Moeen Ali Eng 292/*! 292 v Pak at The Oval 2016
4 ( - ) Mitchell Starc Aus 279! 279 v SL at Colombo (SSC) 2016
5 ( - ) V. Philander SA 264 376 v Aus at Cape Town 2014
*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
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