ICC Test Rankings: Smith climbs to second spot among batters
Australian batter Steven Smith has climbed to the second spot in the latest ICC Test Rankings for batters. The 33-year-old slammed 85 in the Boxing Day Test against South Africa and followed it up with a 30th ton in the ongoing match. As a result, he surpassed Pakistan captain Babar Azam in the rankings. Meanwhile, New Zealand's Kane Williamson re-enters the top five.
Smith has been on a roll
Smith ended 2022 with an 85-run knock in Melbourne. He then smacked a magnificent hundred in the New Year's Test. The Australian vice-captain recorded his 30th ton, going past Don Bradman's tally of 29 centuries. Smith now has the most Test tons among active players. Smith ended up scoring 104 off 192 balls, a knock studded with 11 boundaries and two maximums.
A look at the top five batters
Smith is 42 points behind top-placed Marnus Labuschagne in the ICC Test Batting Rankings. Meanwhile, Babar has slipped to the third spot with 882 points, still his career-high rating points. Australian batter Travis Head follows Babar with 833 rating points. Meanwhile, Williamson has once again broken into the top five after smashing a record-breaking double-century against Pakistan in the 1st Test.
A record-breaking fifth double-ton
Williamson slammed his fifth double-century in Test cricket last month. The 32-year-old reached the landmark on Day 4 of the 1st Test against Pakistan at the National Stadium, Karachi. Williamson now has the most Test double-tons by a New Zealand batter, breaking the record of Brendon McCullum. The former scored his first Test ton in nearly two years on Day 3.
Other batters who moved up
New Zealand batters Daryl Mitchell and Devon Conway have climbed to the 10th (career-best) and 24th spots, respectively. Meanwhile, Australia's David Warner (14th) and Alex Carey (28th) also moved up in the batting rankings. Rishabh Pant (seventh) and Rohit Sharma (ninth) remain the only Indian batters in the top 10. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli has plunged to the 15th spot.
What about the bowlers?
Australian captain Pat Cummins continues to lead the ICC Test Rankings for bowlers. He maintains a healthy 37-point lead over England's James Anderson despite picking just one wicket in the MCG Test. Notably, India's Jasprit Bumrah follows Cummins. Meanwhile, South Africa's Kagiso Rabada, who returned figures of 2/144 at the MCG, lost three places and dropped to sixth in the rankings for bowlers.
A look at the ICC Test Rankings for batters
The race to become the No.1 Test batter on the @MRFWorldwide ICC Men's Player Rankings is getting tight 👀
— ICC (@ICC) January 5, 2023
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