Virat Kohli of India and Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka have made huge gains on the latest ICC Men’s Player Rankings as a result of their outstanding performances at the Asia Cup, while a new No.1 all-rounder has been crowned in the game’s shortest format.
Kohli got his first international century in nearly three years and amassed 276 runs in the Asia Cup. As a result of his efforts, he rose 14 ranks to 15th overall in the T20I batter rankings.
Hasaranga’s ascent was equally impressive, with the Sri Lanka match-winner rising three places to sixth on the bowling rankings and seven places to fourth on the all-rounder list after being named Asia Cup Player of the Tournament.
Sri Lanka’s all-rounder took nine wickets throughout the tournament, including three in the final against Pakistan, and his form was a crucial cause for the island nation’s sixth Asia Cup victory.
And Hasaranga might end up at the top of both rankings if he can maintain his present form at the next T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.
On the list of T20I bowlers, the 25-year-old is now only 100 rating points behind Australia’s Josh Hazlewood, and the margin at the top is even smaller on the all-rounder rankings.
Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has surpassed Afghanistan veteran Mohammad Nabi to become the No. 1 ranked T20I all-rounder following the Asia Cup.
Kohli still has a long way to go before reclaiming the top spot among T20I batsmen, but he is heading in the right direction after regaining form during the Asia Cup.
The champion right-hander was the biggest mover near the top of the T20I batter rankings, with India teammate Lokesh Rahul (up seven places to 23rd) and Sri Lanka standout Bhanuka Rajapaksa (up 34 ranks to 34th) also making inroads.
Mohammad Rizwan of Pakistan maintains his lead at the top of the T20I batter rankings, while South Africa’s Aiden Markram leapfrogs Babar Azam to clinch second place in a close race for top billing.
After impressive performances at the Asia Cup, India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar (up four ranks to seventh) and Pakistan duo Haris Rauf (up nine spaces to equal 25th) and Mohammad Nawaz (up seven spots to 34th) were among the biggest movers on the T20I bowlers’ list.
The latest Test player rankings saw no change within the top 10, but there were some significant jumps made by players from England and South Africa following the conclusion of their recent three-match series.
Following his five-wicket haul in the first innings of the third and deciding Test at The Oval, England right-hander Ollie Pope jumped 17 places to 29th overall on the batter rankings, while teammate Ollie Robinson jumped 11 spots to 15th on the bowler rankings.
While South Africa lost the series 2-1 against Brendon McCullum’s team, the performance of speedster Marco Jansen in the final Test will give them hope.
Jansen collected his own five-wicket haul, moving up eight places to 26th in the Test bowling rankings and six places to equal 12th in the all-rounder rankings as a result of his efforts.
Australia’s 3-0 series sweep in the recently concluded Chappell-Hadlee series resulted in a modest shift in the latest ODI player rankings, with veteran duo Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc benefiting the most.
Smith led the series in run scoring with 167, and he was rewarded by moving up 13 spots to 10th overall in the batter rankings.
While Starc’s climb was not as spectacular, the veteran left-arm will be satisfied with his three-place jump to ninth overall on the ODI bowlers list.
Trent Boult of New Zealand maintains his lead in the ODI bowler rankings after finishing the series against Australia with 10 wickets.
