Williamson and Pat Cummins top the ICC Test ranking

New Zealand Skipper Kane Williamson overtakes India Captain Virat Kohli and Australian skipper Steve Smith in the ICC Test ranking announced by ICC on Thursday.

Kane Williamson bagged the top spot for batsmen in the ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings, after his ‘Player of the Match’ award in the first Test against Pakistan in Tauranga. Williamson continued his aggressive form in the longer format as he clinched his 23rd Test hundred in the first Test against Pakistan at Bay Oval.

At the end of 2015, Williamson briefly acquired this top place but Virat Kohli or Steve Smith occupied the place again. On Thursday’s year-ending ICC rankings, that includes performances from the 2nd Test between Australia and India in Melbourne and the 1st Test between South Africa and Sri Lanka in Centurion.

From that, Williamson has gained 13 rating points for his impressive performance of 129 and 21 to 11 points clear of Kohli and 13 ahead of Smith. Virat Kohli is on paternity leave for the last two Tests of India’s ongoing series against Australia. Meanwhile, Smith at Melbourne Cricket Ground could only get him scores of zero and eight.

Also, Ajinkya Rahane has alss advanced five places to reach the sixth position in ICC Test rankings.

All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja moved up 11 spots to a career best-equalling to 36th place among batsmen after a handy knock of 57 in his only innings in Melbourne and also gained four places to reach 14th place among bowlers after finishing with three wickets in the match.

New Zealand’s Ross Taylor advanced up three places to 14th.

Pakistan’s Fawad Alam’s aggressive second-innings century has helped him climb 80 places to 102nd position meanwhile wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan’s score of 71 and 60 have helped him climb 27 places to a career-best 47th position.

Pat Cummins ranked no. 1 at the ICC Test bowlers ranking. Also Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin climbed up two places to acquire the seventh spot and fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is also up one place to bag the ninth position.

Meanwhile Mitchell Starc entered the top five position. Also Jason Holder climbed to seven points.