Younus vaults into second place in latest ICC Test player rankings by International Cricket Council

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Ground:	Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Scorecard:	Pakistan v West Indies
Player:	Younis Khan
Event:	West Indies in United Arab Emirates 2016/17

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DateLine: 26th October 2016

 

Pakistan batsman Younus Khan has moved up three places to second position in the latest MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen following his side’s 133 runs victory over the West Indies in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday that has helped it take a decisive 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

 

Younus, who had missed the day-night opening Test in Dubai due to an illness, has leapfrogged New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, England batsman Joe Root and South Africa’s Hashim Amla with innings of 127 and 29 not out.

 

Younus, who claimed number one ranking in March 2009 following his triple century in Lahore against Sri Lanka, hasn’t been ranked as high as second since July 2009. Younus now leads Root by eight points but trails Australia’s number-one ranked Steve Smith by 46 points.

 

Younus has been joined inside the top 10 by captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who has gained one place to take 10th position after scoring 96 in his only innings of the match, while Asad Shafiq is the other Pakistan batsman to rise in the rankings (14th, up by two places) following his two half-centuries.

 

For the West Indies, stylish left-hander Darren Bravo has slipped out of the top 20 but Kraigg Brathwaite has moved up three places to 32nd rank following scores of 21 and 67, while Jermaine Blackwood has gained 11 places to 41st rank following contributions of eight and 95.

 

England’s engrossing 22-run win over Bangladesh in the opening Test in Chittagong that ended on Monday, has seen wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow move up two slots to a career-best 11th place with scores of 52 and 47. Moeen Ali has also reached a career-high 26th rank as his scores of 68 and 14 have helped him move up two slots.

 

England’s Ben Stokes won the player of the match award for his performance in the Chittagong Test and this is reflected in the latest MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings.

 

The 25-year-old Stokes, who along with Root and Jos Buttler played in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2010 in New Zealand, has not only gained eight positions to reach 36th in the batting rankings with scores of 18 and 85, but has also moved up four slots to 23rd rank among bowlers after grabbing six wickets in the match.

 

The Yorkshireman has also reached a career-best fourth rank in the all-rounders’ list after gaining three places and is now just 11 points behind Ali, who is England’s highest-ranked all-rounder in third place.

 

For Bangladesh, left-handed opener Tamim Iqbal has moved up two slots to reach 24th position with scores of 78 and nine, while debutant Sabbir Rahman has entered the top 100 in 92nd position with innings of 19 and 64 not out.

 

In the MRF Tyres Player Rankings for Test Bowlers, which is led by India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah’s match haul of 10 for 210 in Abu Dhabi has seen him return to the top five.

 

Yasir, who peaked to the top during the series against England, has joined England’s Stuart Broad in fifth place, who has dropped one place after claiming just two Bangladesh wickets in Chittagong.

 

In the latest rankings, Pakistan’s Rahat Ali and West Indies’ Shanon Gabriel have achieved career-high rankings, while Bangladesh’s Mehedi Hasan has entered in 61st position after figures of six for 80 and one for 58 on his debut which has come eight months after he helped Bangladesh finish third in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2016.

 

Rahat took four wickets in Abu Dhabi which has help him rise four places to 31st, while Gabriel’s five for 96 and one for 36 have given him a lift of 10 places and he is now in 38th position.

 

Other bowlers to head in the right direction include, Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan in 15th (up by two places), England’s Ali in 27th (up by four places), Taijul Islam of Bangladesh in 36th (up by six places) and West Indies captain Jason Holder in 59th (up by two places).

 

The player rankings will now be updated following the Sharjah Test between Pakistan and the West Indies, which is scheduled to conclude on 3 November.

 

Zimbabwe versus Sri Lanka

 

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe hosts Sri Lanka in a two-Test series starting 29 October in Harare in what could be a chance for the home side to garner some points since the 10th-ranked side trails the sixth-ranked opposition by 87 points and this is weighted to reflect this difference.

 

Sri Lanka will only gain one point to reach 96 points if it wins the series 2-0 and will remain on 95 points with a 1-0 win. Zimbabwe will lose three points if it loses both matches but will gain two points even if it loses 1-0.

 

A drawn series will see Sri Lanka drop to 92 points while taking Zimbabwe up to 20 points. Zimbabwe could go up to 30 points if it pulls off a 1-0 win in the series while a 2-0 win will see it reach 35 points.

 

A loss by any margin for Sri Lanka, which will be without its regular captain and top-ranked batsman Angelo Mathews (joint-15th), will see it slip behind New Zealand to seventh position.

 

MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings (as on 25 October, after the first Bangladesh-England Test and the second Pakistan-West Indies Test)

 

Rank Team Points
1. India 115
2. Pakistan 111
3. Australia 108
4. England 108
5. South Africa 96
6. Sri Lanka 95
7. New Zealand 91
8. West Indies 67
9. Bangladesh 57
10. Zimbabwe 8
(Developed by David Kendix)

 

MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings (as on 26 October, after the first Bangladesh-England Test and second Pakistan-West Indies Test)

 

Batsmen (top 20)
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Avge Highest Rating
1 ( - ) Steve Smith Aus 906 58.55 936 v Eng at Lord's 2015
2 (+3) Younus Khan Pak 860 54.30 880 v SL at Lahore 2009
3 (-1) Joe Root Eng 852 53.94 917 v Aus at Trent Bridge 2015
4 (-1) Hashim Amla SA 847 51.16 907 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2013
5 (-1) K. Williamson NZ 841 50.31 893 v Aus at Perth 2015
6 ( - ) Ajinkya Rahane Ind 825! 51.37 825 v NZ at Indore 2016
7= ( - ) Adam Voges Aus 802* 72.75 824 v SL at Galle 2016
( - ) AB de Villiers SA 802 50.46 935 v Aus at Port Elizabeth 2014
9 ( - ) David Warner Aus 772 48.63 880 v NZ at Perth 2015
10 (+1) Misbah-ul-Haq Pak 765 48.71 842 v NZ at Abu Dhabi 2014
11 (+2) Jonny Bairstow Eng 750! 41.95 750 v Ban at Chittagong 2016
12= (-2) Alastair Cook Eng 737 46.96 874 v Ind at Kolkata 2012
( - ) Azhar Ali Pak 737 46.12 754 v WI at Dubai 2016
14 (+2) Asad Shafiq Pak 732 43.84 758 v Eng at Lord's 2016
15= (-1) Angelo Mathews SL 731 47.16 877 v NZ at Christchurch 2014
(-1) C. Pujara Ind 731 49.22 851 v SA at Durban 2013
17 ( - ) Virat Kohli Ind 718 45.56 784 v NZ at Wellington 2014
18 ( - ) D. Chandimal SL 692! 44.25 692 v Aus at Colombo (SSC) 2016
19 ( - ) Ross Taylor NZ 675 46.24 871 v WI at Hamilton 2013
20 ( - ) Sarfraz Ahmed Pak 661 43.33 715 v SL at Galle 2015

 

Bowlers (top 20)
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Avge Highest Rating
1 ( - ) R. Ashwin Ind 900! 24.29 900 v NZ at Indore 2016
2 ( - ) Dale Steyn SA 878 22.24 909 v WI at Centurion 2014
3 ( - ) James Anderson Eng 861 28.28 884 v SL at Durham 2016
4 (+1) Rangana Herath SL 831 28.71 851 v Pak at Colombo (SSC) 2014
5= (-1) Stuart Broad Eng 829 28.48 880 v SA at Johannesburg 2016
(+1) Yasir Shah Pak 829 27.27 878 v Eng at Lord's 2016
7 ( - ) Ravindra Jadeja Ind 805* 23.52 809 v NZ at Kolkata 2016
8 ( - ) Mitchell Starc Aus 792! 27.36 792 v SL at Colombo (SSC) 2016
9 ( - ) Neil Wagner NZ 731* 29.63 760 v SA at Centurion 2016
10 ( - ) Vernon Philander SA 723 22.09 912 v Ind at Johannesburg 2013
11= ( - ) Trent Boult NZ 715 29.56 825 v Eng at Lord's 2015
( - ) Josh Hazlewood Aus 715* 26.40 792 v WI at Hobart 2015
13 ( - ) Morne Morkel SA 710 29.33 776 v Aus at Cape Town 2011
14 ( - ) Nathan Lyon Aus 677 32.80 696 v NZ at Wellington 2016
15 (+2) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 651 32.62 700 v Zim at Khulna 2014
16 (-1) Dilruwan Perera SL 645* 28.35 658 v Aus at Galle 2016
17 (-1) Tim Southee NZ 637 32.63 799 v WI at Jamaica 2014
18 (+1) Peter Siddle Aus 602 29.88 816 v Eng at Old Trafford 2013
19 (+1) D. Prasad SL 583* 35.97 632 v WI at Colombo (PSS) 2015
20 (-2) Chris Woakes Eng 580* 26.66 609 v Pak at The Oval 2016

 

(Article: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only.
Copyright © 2016 International Cricket Council)