Australia, New Zealand performers gain in men's rankings

Performers in Test victories for Australia and New Zealand have enjoyed healthy jumps after the latest update in the ICC Men’s Player Rankings.

It was a case of double delight for players on both teams having secured series victories, with Australia moving to an unassailable 3-0 lead against England in a home Ashes campaign, and the Black Caps closing out a 2-0 series win over the West Indies in Mount Maunganui.

These performances have left some Australia players within reaching sight of the top spots in the ICC Men's Test Batting and Bowling Rankings.

Claiming an 82-run victory in Adelaide, Australia were driven by Travis Head at the top of the order, with his second-innings 170 off 219 balls setting up the win. The knock also propelled Head up four places to joint third (815) in the rankings, alongside teammate Steve Smith.

Alex Carey’s first-innings century saw the Australia wicketkeeper climb six places into the top ten, rising to ninth with a career-best rating of 737.

Across the Tasman, it was New Zealand’s prolific batting that set up their victory against the West Indies, finishing as 2-0 series winners.

Rachin Ravindra’s unbeaten scores of 72 and 46 sparked a five-place jump to 13th, while Devon Conway’s commanding scores of 227 and 100 lifted him to a career-high rating of 681, placing him joint 17th.

In reply, Kavem Hodge’s fighting knock of 123 not out was reflected with an 11-spot jump to 66th, marking both a career-best ranking and rating.

On the bowling side, two Australians are now the best-positioned to challenge Jasprit Bumrah as the No.1 Test bowler.

Mitchell Starc (third) and Pat Cummins (up four spots to second with a rating of 849) claimed ten wickets between them in Adelaide, with Cummins 30 rating points behind the India spearhead.

Starc also climbed to third on the Test all-rounders’ list after contributing a crucial half-century in the win, moving level with Ashes rival Ben Stokes on a rating of 311.

There were also gains on the Men’s T20I Player Rankings for performers from the recently concluded five-match T20I bout between India and South Africa, which the Team in Blue took 3-1.

The decider was a runfest in Ahmedabad, with the hosts posting 231 in the first innings.

India top-scorer Tilak Varma smashed 73 from 42 balls which helped him jump over Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka to clinch the third spot with 805 rating points, while Dewald Brevis’ quickfire 31 helped him move inside the top 10.

India were able to defend the total on the back of Jasprit Bumrah's brilliant spell (2/17 off four overs), even as he was the only bowler in the match to finish with an economy of under run a ball. This led to a 10-spot jump to a shared 18th spot with Maheesh Theekshana (622) in the bowling rankings.

Varun Chakaravarthy’s four-wicket haul solidifies his top spot in the rankings, with his rating of 804 well clear of Jacob Duffy (699) in second.