Dubai, Nov 13 (UNI) Virat Kohli is the number-one ranked ODI batsman, while Jasprit
Bumrah is the top-ranked bowler and Rashid Khan is the leading all-rounder in the latest
MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Player Rankings for ODI Batsmen, which were released on
Tuesday.
After scores of 80 and 86 not out, Ross Taylor has leapfrogged Joe Root, Babar
Azam and David Warner to third position.
New Zealand’s Ross Taylor has warmed up for the upcoming three-Test series
against Pakistan by achieving a career-high position.
The 34-year-old middle-order batsman started the series in sixth position, but after
scores of 80 and 86 not out, has leapfrogged Joe Root, Babar Azam and David
Warner to third position. This is his career-best ranking, which has come after 207
ODIs in which he has scored 7,433 runs. The former captain had earlier reached
fifth place this June.
Taylor, reacting to the news, said, “First and foremost you want to win games, you
don’t go out there to try to get your rankings up there. But I guess, at this stage of
my career, it is nice to know that I am still able to compete."
“I think as you come towards the end of your career, you’ve worked your game out
and you try to enjoy yourself a bit more. I'm not sure how many years I may have left
so I'm trying to make the most of every opportunity," he said.
“It's obviously nice to achieve a high ranking, but at the same time I hope there're a
few more runs left in me,” Taylor said.
Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman is the other batsman to achieve a career-high
ranking from the series in the UAE, which ended at one-all after the decider in Dubai
was washed out. The left-handed opener had scores of one, 88 and 65, which have
lifted him six places to 11th in the latest rankings. The 28-year-old, however, will not
be part of the Test squad.
Similarly, Shadab Khan has achieved a career-high bowling ranking but will not
feature in the upcoming Tests. The wrist spinner bagged six wickets in the series,
including four for 38 in the second match, to vault 16 places to 24th position.
The other bowler to make an impact in the ODIs and one to look out for in the
Tests is Lachlan Ferguson. The New Zealand fast bowler had figures of three for
40, three for 60 and five for 45 during the series, which also reflect in the latest
rankings, in which he has rocketed 31 places to 42nd.
Shaheen Afridi, who took nine wickets in the series and won the player of the
series award, has rocketed 66 places to sit just outside the top-100 in 118th
position.
However, Trent Boult and Hasan Ali have been unable to either defend or
improve their rankings.
Boult made a dream start to his season when he took a hat-trick in only his
second over. However, he managed to add just one more wicket to his tally
and consequently finished in seventh position after starting in fourth place.
Hasan, who had started the year with a number one ranking, has continued
to slide. After falling three places following his four wickets, he is now ranked
13th, but remains his side’s highest-ranked bowler.
Down Under, South Africa defeated Australia 2-1 in a three-match series,
with the series-decider in Hobart producing scintillating centuries from Faf du
Plessis, David Miller and Shaun Marsh.
Du Plessis scored 125 in the run feast and finished with a series aggregate
of 182 runs that has put him in seventh position with a rise of three places.
Miller scored 139 and ended up as the leading run-scorer with 192 runs, which
have been rewarded with a rise of 11 places and put him in 31st position.
Marsh scored 106 to end the series with 128 runs and in 62nd position after
starting in 80th place.
South Africa’s series win is also reflected in the bowling table in which Kagiso
Rabada, Dale Steyn, Andile Phehlukwayo Lungi Ngidi and Dwaine Pretorius
have made upward movements, while Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Pat
Cummins have headed in the opposite direction.
Rabada’s haul of seven wickets has helped him move from sixth position to
fourth, Steyn’s series figures of seven for 94 have lifted him nine places to 15th,
Phehlukwayo’s three wickets in his only appearance have helped him gain six
place to 28th spot, Ngidi occupies 43rd position after earning a rise of 19
places following his four wickets and Pretorius has finished in 55th spot after
gaining 20 places with five wickets in the series.
In contrast, Hazlewood has slipped four places to ninth, Starc has fallen
three places to 17th and Cummins has dropped one place to 19th.
However, Marcus Stoinis has enhanced his reputation as a world-class
all-rounder in the making by finishing in 17th place after starting in 40th spot.
This is after he ended in 49th batting position (up by three places) and 85th
bowling position (up by 37 places).
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