Smith finishes 2017 gaining 1st Rank in Test cricket

Steve Smith widened the gap between Virat Kohli and him, ending 2017 as best Test batsman with 947 points. © Getty
Steven Smith widened the gap between Virat Kohli and him in the ICC Test rankings for batsmen, according to the updated list released on Sunday (December 31). Smith achieved career-best 947 points after the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne and now leads Kohli by 54 points.

Smith’s feat is remarkable as only Sir Don Bradman (961) has achieved so many points in the history of the ranking system. Joe Root too moved up a place and is now joint fourth with Kane Williamson. Smith, Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Williamson and Root now form the top five in the rankings. Alastair Cook’s unbeaten 244 helped him enter Top 10 and he now holds the eighth spot.

James Anderson continues to hold the top spot in bowler’s rankings followed by Kagiso Rabada, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin and Josh Hazlewood. Shakib-al-Hasan, despite missing the tour of South Africa owing to his six-month Test sabbatical, has still managed to stay at the top spot in the all-rounder’s list. He leads Jadeja by just 23 points. Ashwin, Vernon Philander and Stokes, despite his absence from international cricket since the Bristol incident in September, continue to find themselves in the top five of the list.

In team’s rankings, there have been no changes with India leading the pack with 124 points. South Africa are chasing them with 111 points while England hold the third spot. New Zealand, who trounced Windies 2-0, are fourth while Australia are fifth with 97 points. Even if Australia lose the last Ashes Test, they’ll move to third spot after securing three wins in the first three Tests.

Team rankings:

Rank Team Rating
1 India 124
2 South Africa 111
3 England 105
4 New Zealand 100
5 Australia 97
6 Sri Lanka 94
7 Pakistan 88
8 West Indies 72
9 Bangladesh 72
10 Zimbabwe 1
Batsmen:

Rank Name Team Points
1 Steve Smith Australia 947
2 Virat Kohli India 893
3 Cheteshwar Pujara India 873
4 Kane Williamson New Zealand 855
4 Joe Root England 855
6 David Warner Australia 831
7 Hashim Amla South Africa 776
8 Alastair Cook England 759
9 Azhar Ali Pakistan 755
10 Dinesh Chandimal Sri Lanka 743

Bowlers:
Rank Name Team Points
1 James Anderson England 892
2 Kagiso Rabada South Africa 883
3 Ravindra Jadeja India 870
4 R Ashwin India 829
5 Josh Hazlewood Australia 819
6 Rangana Herath Sri Lanka 799
7 Neil Wagner New Zealand 784
8 Mitchell Starc Australia 774
9 Nathan Lyon Australia 771
10 Morne Morkel South Africa 753
All-rounders:

Rank Name Team Points
1 Shakib Al Hasan Bangladesh 438
2 Ravindra Jadeja India 415
3 R Ashwin India 369
4 Ben Stokes England 366
5 Vernon Philander South Africa 313

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