Kohli and Smith rankings kings in 2017

Steve Smith continued his reign in the Player Rankings for Test Batsmen for a second year running, finishing the calendar year 2017 with the second highest ever rating after the legendary Don Bradman.

Smith’s tally of 947 points kept him 54 points ahead of Virat Kohli at the end of a year which saw the Australia captain aggregate 1,305 runs with six centuries.

His India counterpart Kohli, however, kept a steady hold on the ODI number one ranking for most of the latter part of the year even though his year-end aggregate was only four points more than second-placed AB de Villiers.

Unlike in Tests, the top position in ODIs was fiercely contested for, with as many as 12 changes between Kohli, de Villiers and David Warner.

ALSO READ: Your 2017 Test stats leaders

Kohli led for 190 days in this format while his hold at the top in T20I rankings was virtually right through. He was top-ranked for 358 days in the shortest format, only losing the spot to Aaron Finch towards the end as Kohli missed a three-match home series against Sri Lanka when he got married.

Those rising rapidly in Tests in 2017 were India opener Lokesh Rahul (49th to 12th), Windies middle-order batsman Shai Hope (107th to 34th) and South Africa left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj (59th to 16th).

Ravichandran Ashwin started the year at the top among bowlers in Tests but it was his spin-twin Ravindra Jadeja who ruled for the longest period (187 days) while England pace bowler James Anderson (115 days) finished the year on top.

Ashwin and Jadeja were also briefly jointly-top ranked.

In ODI bowling, New Zealand pace bowler Trent Boult started the year on top and Pakistan’s Hasan Ali finished in that position but it were Imran Tahir and Josh Hazlewood who led for most of the time. In T20Is, Tahir, India’s Jasprit Bumrah and Imad Wasim, topped at different points in time.

Hasan rose meteorically in ODIs from 75th place to first position during the year. Bumrah (48th to third) and Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan (38th to eighth) also rose swiftly on the table.

Among all-rounders, Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan was the runaway leader across formats with Ashwin-Jadeja in Tests, Mohammad Hafeez in ODIs and Glen Maxwell in T20Is snatching the baton from him at different points in time.

In the women’s rankings, Meg Lanning of Australia and Marizanne Kapp of South Africa led for most of the time in ODI batting and bowling, respectively, even though India captain Mithali Raj regained the top ODI ranking for batters by the end of the year. Windies skipper Stafanie Taylor and Australia’s Ellyse Perry prevailed in the all-rounders’ rankings in 2017.

In T20Is, Taylor topped the batters’ list through the year while also prevailing among all-rounders for the most part (240 days). Her compatriot Hayley Matthews and Perry were also at the top for significant periods of time. Anya Shrubsole was the top-ranked bowler – for 242 days- with Matthews at the highest for 71 days.

Test batting                        Highest rating – Steve Smith (947 points)

Steve Smith                        365 days

Test bowling                      Highest rating – Ravindra Jadeja (899)

Ravindra Jadeja                187 days
James Anderson               115 days
R Ashwin                           74 days

Test all-rounder               Highest rating – Shakib Al Hasan (489)

Shakib Al Hasan                284 days
R Ashwin                           72 days
Ravindra Jadeja                   9 days

ODI batting         Highest rating – Virat Kohli (889)

Virat Kohli                           190 days
AB de Villiers                       127 days
David Warner                      48 days

ODI bowling       Highest rating – Imran Tahir (786)

Imran Tahir                         142 days
Josh Hazlewood                   109 days
Hasan Ali                              74 days
Trent Boult                            35 days
Kagiso Rabada                        5 days

ODI all-rounder                Highest rating – Shakib Al Hasan (386)

Shakib Al Hasan                283 days
Mohammad Hafeez             82 days

T20I batting                        Highest rating – Virat Kohli (831)

Virat Kohli                           358 days
Aaron Finch                            7 days

T20I bowling                      Highest rating – Imran Tahir (795)

Imran Tahir                         169 days
Imad Wasim                        143 days
Jasprit Bumrah                      53 days

T20I all-rounder               Highest rating – Glenn Maxwell (388)

Shakib Al Hasan                310 days
Glenn Maxwell                    55 days

Women ODI batting       Highest rating – Meg Lanning (807)

Meg Lanning                      292 days
Mithali Raj                           73 days

Women ODI bowling     Highest rating – Marizanne Kapp (689)

Marizanne Kapp               313 days
Jhulan Goswami                46 days
Stafanie Taylor                    4 days
Jess Jonassen                     2 days

Women ODI all-rounder      Highest rating – Stafanie Taylor (446)

Stafanie Taylor                  193 days
Ellyse Perry                       172 days

Women T20I batting        Highest rating – Stafanie Taylor (686)

Stafanie Taylor                  365 days

Women T20I bowling      Highest rating – Morna Nielsen (655)

Anya Shrubsole                242 days
Hayley Matthews               71 days
Morna Nielsen                   50 days
Megan Schutt                     2 days

Women T20I all-rounder       Highest rating – Ellyse Perry (311)

Stafanie Taylor                  240 days
Hayley Matthews                70 days
Ellyse Perry                        53 days
Deandra Dottin                    2 days

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