ICC Test Batsmen Ranking: Smith reclaims number one position, Younis Khan maintains 7th place

DUBAI – Australia’s Steven Smith has reclaimed the number one position in the ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen after producing a man of the match performance in the second Ashes Test against England at Lord’s. According to a press release issued by the ICC on Monday, Smith, who scored a career high 215 and then 58 to inspire Australia to a 405-run victory on Sunday, has overtaken AB de Villiers at the top of the rankings and he now holds a commanding 28-point advantage over the prolific South African. There was also a career high gain for Chris Rogers whose Test top score of 173 and 49 not out have vaulted the 37-year-old 12 places into ninth on 793 points, 20 behind New Zealand’s Kane Williamson. David Warner remains in 10th places, while skipper Michael Clarke has dropped three places to 20th. However, Pakistan’s Younis Khan is at the seventh place. For England, Joe Root has dropped two places to sixth, though Alastair Cook has improved his ranking by two places and now lies in 18th place after scoring 96 and 11 in the match. There were also again for Ben Stokes (up three to a career high 32nd) after scoring 87 runs in the first innings. In the ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers, Mitchell Johnson has climbed three places to fourth after claiming six wickets for 80 runs in the match and he has Pakistan’s Yasir Shah in his sights. The left-arm paceman has now claimed 299 wickets in 68 Tests to date and he will be eyeing up a significant milestone in the third Test in Edgbaston. If Johnson passes 300 wickets he will become only the fifth Australian to do so after Shane Warne (in second place on the all-time list on 708 wickets),Glenn McGrath (in fourth place on 563), Dennis Lillee (in 20th place on 355) and Brett Lee (in 25th place on 310). Johnson currently lies in 28th place overall, eight wickets behind former England fast bowling great Fred Trueman. Josh Hazlewood has moved up four places to a career high 17th after claiming five wickets for 88 runs in the match, while Mitchell Marsh has risen 20 places to 100th after taking three wickets for 31 runs overall. England’s Stuart Broad is unchanged in fifth place on 800 points, though James Anderson has fallen four places to sixth, though Joe Root has moved up five places to a career high 77th. The all-rounder rankings remain unchanged with Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh continuing to lead the way over South Africa’s Vernon Philander. The third Test starts at Edgbaston on July 29.

ICC TEST PLAYER RANKINGS (as on July 20 after second Ashes Test in Lord’s)

Batsmen

 Rank    (+/-)        Player            Team     Points    Avge      HS Ranking

   1           (+1)         Steven Smith        Aus         936!       58.52     936 v Eng at Lord's 2015

   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)         K. Sangakkara     SL           874        58.04     938 v Eng at Kandy 2007

   5           (+1)         A. Mathews          SL           860        51.67     877 v NZ at Christchurch 2014

   6           (-2)          Joe Root                Eng         850        54.02     884 v Aus at Cardiff 2015

   7           ( - )          Younus Khan       Pak         829        54.07     880 v SL at Lahore 2009

   8           ( - )          K. Williamson       NZ          813        45.70     860 v Eng at Lord's 2015

   9           (+12)      Chris Rogers         Aus         793!       44.33     793 v Eng at Lord's 2015

  10         ( - )          David Warner       Aus         764        46.86     880 v Ind at Adelaide 2014

Selected rankings

Rank      (+/-)        Player            Team     Points    Avge      HS Ranking

  18         (+2)         Alastair Cook       Eng         709        46.62     874 v Ind at Kolkata 2012

  20         (-3)          Michael Clarke    Aus         701        50.24     900 v SL at Melbourne 2012

  32         (+3)         Ben Stokes            Eng         594*!    36.00     594 v Aus at Lord's 2015

  34         (-3)          Gary Ballance      Eng         583*      47.76     702 v WI at Grenada 2015

  36         (-2)          Ian Bell                  Eng         561        43.18     822 v Ind at The Oval 2011

  53         (+1)         Shaun Marsh        Aus         463*      35.79     472 v WI at Jamaica 2015

  55         (-4)          Jos Buttler             Eng         449*      40.92     494 v NZ at Headingley 2015

  63         ( - )          Moeen Ali             Eng         426*      29.35     427 v Aus at Cardiff 2015

Bowlers

Rank      (+/-)        Player            Team     Points    Avge      HS Ranking

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

   2           (+1)         Trent Boult           NZ          814        27.12     825 v Eng at Lord's 2015

   3           (+1)         Yasir Shah            Pak         810*!    24.81     810 v SL at Pallekele 2015

   4           (+3)         M. Johnson           Aus         801        27.71     849 v Pak at Dubai 2014

   5           ( - )          Stuart Broad         Eng         800        29.62     801 v Aus at Cardiff 2015

   6           (-4)          James Anderson  Eng         787        29.73     847 v WI at Barbados 2015

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

   8           ( - )          Rangana Herath  SL           752        30.17     851 v Pak at Colombo (SSC) 2014

   9           ( - )          Morne Morkel      SA           727        29.35     776 v Aus at Cape Town 2011

  10         ( - )          Tim Southee         NZ          713        31.63     799 v WI at Jamaica 2014

Selected rankings

Rank    (+/-)        Player              Team     Points    Avge      HS Ranking

  14         ( - )          Peter Siddle           Aus         622        30.45     816 v Eng at Old Trafford 2013

  16         ( - )          Nathan Lyon        Aus         613        34.16     648 v Eng at Melbourne 2013

  17         (+4)         Josh Hazlewood  Aus         594*!    19.94     594 v Eng at Lord's 2015

  19         (-2)          Mitchell Starc       Aus         573*      32.00     589 v Eng at Cardiff 2015

  28         (-1)          Moeen Ali             Eng         470*      34.68     480 v Aus at Cardiff 2015

  64         (-12)       Mark Wood          Eng         262*      39.21     306 v Aus at Cardiff 2015

  77         (+5)         Joe Root                Eng         196*!    39.75     196 v Aus at Lord's 2015

100         (+20)      Mitchell Marsh     Aus         77*!       48.75     77 v Eng at Lord's 2015

 

All-rounders

Rank      (+/-)     Player                   Team  Points    HS Ranking

   1           ( - )          Shakib Al Hasan   Ban       381        419 v Zim at Khulna 2014

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

   3           ( - )          R. Ashwin                 Ind       336*/    419 v WI at Mumbai 2013

   4           ( - )          M. Johnson              Aus      304        384 v Eng at Cardiff 2009

   5           ( - )          Stuart Broad            Eng      275        382 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2012

*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