Broad breaks into top five ODI bowlers
Big gains for Strauss, Trott and Mortaza after England v Bangladesh series; Associate players show their moves at ICC World Cricket League Division 1
England pacer Stuart Broad has returned to the top five of the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers following the three-match series against Bangladesh, which concluded in Birmingham on Monday.
The 24-year-old has gained three places after taking four wickets in the series and now sits in joint-fifth position, level with Kyle Mills of New Zealand and Australia's Doug Bollinger.
Broad's team-mate James Anderson, who was left out of the team for the final ODI, has slipped three places to 16th position as a player loses one per cent of his rating for every match he misses. The bowling rankings are still headed by New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori followed in second place by Bangladesh left-arm slow bowler Shakib Al Hasan, who did enough in the series in England to maintain second place.
Shakib will have an immediate opportunity to put more pressure on Vettori at the top as he embarks on a two-ODI series in Ireland and single matches against Scotland and the Netherlands.
Outside the top 20, Mashrafe Mortaza marked his return to the top flight with an impressive performance in the series. In three ODIs he took five wickets at an average of 20.60 and an economy-rate less than four runs per over. That effort has earned him 13 places in latest rankings and he now occupies 26th position.
There are no significant changes in the top 20 of the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen except that England middle-order batsman Eoin Morgan has dropped 10 places to 24th position following a disappointing series for the Middlesex left-hander.
On the other hand, Morgan's captain Andrew Strauss scored 237 runs at an average of 79.00 in the three games and moves up 14 places to joint-25th spot, level with Australia's Cameron White.
Warwickshire right-hander Jonathan Trott's 204 runs at 102.00 in two innings earned him no fewer than 50 places and he now sits in 61st position in the rankings. The list is still topped by India's Mahendra Singh Dhoni with AB de Villiers of South Africa second and Australia's Michael Hussey third.
There is no change in the top five of the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders with Shakib still top and Pakistan's Shahid Afridi in second position.
Meanwhile, with the ICC World Cricket League Division 1 tournament just concluded in the Netherlands, there has been plenty of rankings movement by players on the top Associate and Affiliate teams.
Netherlands right-hander Tom Cooper has moved up to sixth place among Associate and Affiliate players and 66th position overall following his excellent performance at the event. Cooper, who was named player of the tournament, scored 408 runs in six innings, including one century and three fifties, at an average of 68.00 during the event, making him easily the top run-scorer of the tournament.
The news is also good for Ireland's Kevin O'Brien. The big all-rounder from Dublin led his side to victory in Saturday's final with an unbeaten 98 as Ireland successfully defended its title against Scotland. O'Brien gained 20 places for his efforts during the tournament and is now the second highest-ranked Associate batsman, in 51st position overall.
Mohammad Shahzad of Afghanistan scored 250 runs for his team and has gained no fewer than 43 places in the latest rankings. The man from Nangarhar, who turns 19 on Thursday, is now ranked in 56th position, just one place behind Ashish Bagai of Canada, who gained seven places over the course of the WCL Div. 1. The Associate and Affiliate batting list is still headed by Netherlands' Ryan ten Doeschate, who currently occupies 31st position.
Scotland's Gordon Drummond has broken into the top 100 for the first time in his career by capturing eight wickets at an average of just 17.37 over the course of the tournament. He is now in 99th position.
Canada's stalwart opening bowler Umar Bhatti now sits in 69th position overall, putting him fifth among the Associates, a list that is topped by three Kenyans, spinner Hiren Varaiya and pacers Thomas Odoyo and Peter Ongondo.
The full list is available atwww.reliancemobileiccrankings.com.