Dubai: Team India captain Virat Kohli has retained his number one position in the latest ICC Test batsmen’s rankings.
Kohli is sitting on 928 points. Australia’s Steve Smith 911 points is second and Australia’s M Labuschagne 827 points occupies the third spot in the rankings released on Saturday.
England’s Mark Wood and South Africa’s Quinton de Kock have made notable gains in the Test Player Rankings after the final Test in Johannesburg, which England won by 191 runs to take the series 3-1.
Wood, who was adjudged Player of the Match at Wanderers, has moved up 19 places to 38th position among bowlers after his haul of nine for 100. He has also progressed to 142nd from 151st among batsmen after scores of 35 not out and 18 in his 15th Test.
England batsmen Ollie Pope (up six places to 55th) and Dom Sibley (up nine places to 67th) are among others to advance in the latest update, which also takes into account the drawn Harare Test featuring Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. Ben Stokes has gained two slots to reach 27th among bowlers.
For South Africa, Quinton de Kock has moved back towards the top 10 for batsmen after scores of 76 and 39, advancing two places to reach 11th place. His teammate Anrich Nortje has gained 20 places to reach 53rd position among bowlers.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s Vernon Philander has retired as the fifth-ranked all-rounder and 11th among bowlers after a decade-long career that saw him topping both these lists.
He spent 11 Tests as the top-ranked Test bowler between December 2013 and February 2014. He took over from Dale Steyn after taking four for 61 and three for 68 against India at Johannesburg in December 2013. That performance took him to 912 points, which is the joint-seventh best of all time, and the best ever for South Africa.
In Harare, Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza’s Player of the Match effort has helped him advance in the rankings. His eight wickets, which included a seven-wicket haul in the first innings, have lifted him 21 places to 51st among bowlers.
Knocks of 72 and 34 see him progress to 57th among batsmen. Brendan Taylor has moved up to 22nd and Sean Williams to 61st.
Kusal Mendis’s fighting 116 has taken him to 23rd position from 26th before the match. (UNI)
