Dubai: Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar with 653 points is the only Indian batsman in top 20 (19th) of ICC Test rankings which is led by South Africa Hashim Amla.
Pragyan Ojha with 739 points leads the Indian bowlers in the ICC rankings and is at the eighth spot while Zaheer Khan follows him at 15th and R Ashwin is placed at 20th position in the list which is again led by a Proteas -- Dale Steyn.
Meanwhile, Hashim Amla leads a number of South Africa players who continue to make impressive gains in the latest Reliance ICC Test Player Rankings released on Monday.
South Africa players now head the Reliance ICC Test Player Rankings tables for batting, bowling and all-rounders, after the side’s 211 runs win over Pakistan in the first Test at Johannesburg on Monday, which gave it a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Amla has taken over the number-one position in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test batsman for the first time in his career, after entering the Johannesburg Test trailing Australia captain Michael Clarke by just one ratings point. He has moved to top spot after knocks of 37 and 74 not out, and now sits on 895 ratings points, which is his career-best rating.
Amla, who was short-listed for the ICC Cricketer of the Year Award in 2011 and 2012, now heads both the Test and ODI batting tables. He is the first man since former Australia captain Ricky Ponting in December 2007 to do so.
Amla, reacting to his number-one Test ranking, said: “I am surprised and happy with my position as the No.1 ranked Test batsman. However, I’m also mindful that rankings change quite regularly.
“It’s been a great year for our squad, and to be honest I still don’t think that I am the best batsman in our team. What has been most pleasing though for us has been the all-round contribution from everyone in the squad that has been the main reason for our success over the last few years.
“Needless to say, it is always easier to be at the top of your game and successful when you are part of a winning team. Dale and Jacques have been tireless workhorses for the Proteas and continue to consistently put in quality performances for our team, it is no wonder that they are at the top of the bowling and all-rounder rankings.”
Fast bowler Dale Steyn has broken the 900-rating points barrier for the second time in his career to retain his number one position in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers, and Jacques Kallis still heads the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders.
South Africa vice-captain AB de Villiers has achieved a career-best fourth position in the batting rankings after knocks of 31 and 103 not out, and Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has broken into the top 10 for the first time in his career in 10th position (up by three).
Others to make upward movements in the batting rankings are Pakistan’s Asad Shafiq in 28th (up by four) and Faf du Plessis of South Africa in 34th (up by four).
Dale Steyn breaks 900 ratings points barrier again
Player of the match in the Johannesburg Test, Dale Steyn, has broken the 900-rating points barrier for the second time in his career in the bowling rankings, thanks to spells of six for eight and five for 52.
Steyn now has 908 ratings points, the best by a Test bowler since Muttiah Muralidaran reached the same rating in July 2008 against India. Steyn last broke the 900-ratings points barrier in November 2011 after the Cape Town Test against Australia. He now sits alongside ICC Cricket Hall of Famer Alan Davidson of Australia in 13th position on the Reliance ICC Best-Ever Test Championship Rating.
Other bowlers to make upward movements are Jacques Kallis in 29th (up by four) and Mohammad Hafeez in 48th (up by eight).
Kallis continues to head the all-rounders’ list, but Hafeez has broken into the top 10 after jumping three places to 10th.
Reliance ICC Test Player Rankings (as on 4 February after Johannesburg Test)
Batsmen
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Ave HS Ranking
1 (+1) Hashim Amla SA 895! 51.94 895 v Pak at Johannesburg 2013
2 (-1) Michael Clarke Aus 887 52.54 900 v SL at Melbourne 2012
3 ( - ) S.Chanderpaul WI 879 51.67 901 v NZ at Napier 2008
4 (+2) AB de Villiers SA 844! 49.96 844 v Pak at Johannesburg 2013
5 (-1) K Sangakkara SL 842 55.80 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
6 (-1) Alastair Cook Eng 836 49.42 874 v Ind at Kolkata 2012
7 ( - ) Jacques Kallis SA 794 56.48 935 v NZ at Centurion 2007
8 ( - ) Ross Taylor NZ 769 43.57 785 v SL at Colombo (PSS) 2012
9 (+1) Kevin Pietersen Eng 759 49.42 909 v WI at Headingley 2007
10 (+3) Misbah-ul-Haq Pak 733 45.38 771 v Eng at Abu Dhabi 2012
11 (-2) Younus Khan Pak 730 51.00 880 v SL at Lahore 2009
12 (-1) Azhar Ali Pak 727 43.85 753 v SL at Pallekele 2012
13 (-1) Graeme Smith SA 726 49.15 843 v Eng at Johannesburg 2010
14 ( - ) Jonathan Trott Eng 709 49.50 856 v SL at Cardiff 2011
15 ( - ) Matt Prior Eng 693 43.19 698 v Ind at Ahmedabad 2012
16 ( - ) Ian Bell Eng 680 46.71 822 v Ind at The Oval 2011
17 ( - ) Marlon Samuels WI 668! 37.36 668 v Ban at Khulna 2012
18 ( - ) Darren Bravo WI 661* 46.77 709 v Aus at Port-of-Spain 2012
19 ( - ) Sachin Tendulkar Ind 653 54.32 898 v Zim at Nagpur 2002
20 ( - ) M Jayawardena SL 652 49.56 883 v Ind at Ahmedabad 2009
Selected Rankings
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Ave HS Ranking
21 ( - ) Alviro Petersen SA 637 41.07 655 v NZ at Cape Town 2013
28 (+4) Asad Shafiq Pak 605*! 41.34 605 v SA at Johannesburg 2013
34 (+4) Faf du Plessis SA 571*! 97.20 571 v Pak at Johannesburg 2013
41 ( - ) Taufeeq Umar Pak 507* 38.72 703 v SA at Faisalabad 2003
86 (NEW) Nasir Jamshed Pak 278*! 24.00 278 v SA at Johannesburg 2013
88 (-4) Vernon Philander SA 275* 19.14 293 v NZ at Cape Town 2013
92 (+4) Dean Elgar SA 265*! 37.75 265 v Pak at Johannesburg 2013
Bowlers
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Ave HS Ranking
1 ( - ) Dale Steyn SA 908! 22.67 908 v Pak at Johannesburg 2013
2 ( - ) Vernon Philander SA 857* 17.48 859 v NZ at Cape Town 2013
3 (+1) Rangana Herath SL 809 29.95 838 v NZ at Colombo (PSS) 2012
4 (+1) Peter Siddle Aus 800 28.51 806 v SL at Hobart 2012
5 (-2) Saeed Ajmal Pak 789 28.03 836 v SL at Galle 2012
6 ( - ) James Anderson Eng 759 30.39 813 v Ind at Edgbaston 2011
7 ( - ) Graeme Swann Eng 755 29.13 858 v Pak at Lord's 2010
8 (+1) Pragyan Ojha Ind 739* 31.62 773 v Eng at Kolkata 2012
9 (-1) Morne Morkel SA 722 29.93 776 v Aus at Cape Town 2011
10 ( - ) Ben Hilfenhaus Aus 721* 28.50 757 v WI at Port-of-Spain 2012
11 (+1) Kemar Roach WI 698* 27.69 712 v NZ at Kingston 2012
12 (-1) Abdur Rehman Pak 697* 28.40 739 v Eng at Dubai 2012
13 ( - ) Stuart Broad Eng 657 31.93 783 v WI at Lord's 2012
14 ( - ) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 641 32.53 680 v WI at Mirpur 2011
15 ( - ) Zaheer Khan Ind 625 32.35 752 v SA at Durban 2010
16 ( - ) Steven Finn Eng 611* 28.22 621 v SA at Lord's 2012
17 ( - ) Chris Martin NZ 606 33.81 669 v SA at Hamilton 2012
18 ( - ) Mitchell Johnson Aus 600 30.63 825 v Eng at Cardiff 2009
19 ( - ) Umar Gul Pak 597 33.53 642 v Eng at Dubai 2012
20 ( - ) R Ashwin Ind 566* 32.41 595 v Eng at Ahmedabad 2012