New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has reclaimed his number one position in the latest released Men’s Test Player Rankings by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday. Williamson leapfrogged Steve Smith after leading his side to the World Test Championship (WTC) title in Southampton last week.
Williamson’s knocks of 49 and unbeaten 52 in the low-scoring final against mighty India have helped him move above the 900-point benchmark. He now enjoys a 10-point lead over Smith, who has 891 rating points.
Indian opener Rohit Sharma is another gainer in the rankings. He has achieved his career-best sixth spot by overtaking teammate Rishabh Pant. Rohit made 34 and 30 for India in the WTC final against a quality Kiwi pace attack. The Mumbaikar ended the WTC cycle 2019-21 with 1094 runs in 12 matches, making him India’s second-highest run-scorer in the period after Ajinkya Rahane (1159).
Senior South Africa batsman Quinton de Kock has advanced one slot to acquire the ninth position in the rankings. De Kock scored 237 runs in two Tests against West Indies, including a phenomenal century in the series opener.
Indian skipper Virat Kohli and England’s captain Joe Root, who will soon meet in the Test series in August, have retained their fourth and fifth spots, respectively.
Veteran New Zealander Ross Taylor has jumped three places to 14th position while rising star Devon Conway has gained 18 slots to reach 42nd place. Conway was the only batter to score a half-century in the WTC final.
🇳🇿 @BLACKCAPS captain Kane Williamson is back to the No.1 spot in the latest @MRFWorldwide ICC Men's Test Player Rankings for batting.
Full list: https://t.co/OMjjVx5Mgf pic.twitter.com/1DWGBonmF2
— ICC (@ICC) June 30, 2021
New Zealand’s fast bowler Kyle Jamieson has reached his career-best 13th spot after a dominating performance in the WTC final. He had taken a five-wicket haul in the first innings and bagged two scalps in the second essay. Similarly, Trent Boult has advanced two slots to acquire 11th position after five wickets in the summit clash against India.
South Africa’s frontline pacer Kagiso Rabada has moved to the sixth spot with 798 rating points. Rabada finished the Test series against West Indies as the leading wicket-taker with 11 scalps to his name in two matches.
