Hope and Chase on the rise in player rankings

• Cricket365
• October 25, 2017

Shai Hope and Roston Chase have continued to head in the right direction in the ICC player rankings for Test batsmen after wrist-spinner Devendra Bishoo spun the Windies to a 117-run victory over Zimbabwe in the first Test in Bulawayo on Tuesday.

Hope scored 90 not out and 44, while Chase contributed 31 and 95 as the Windies scored 219 and 373. For this performance, Hope has been rewarded with a jump of seven places that has put him in a career-high 24th place, while Chase has gained four places and now sits in 37th spot.

The 23-year-old Hope has recently been one of the most impressive and consistent batsmen on the international cricket circuit. He had started the three-Test series against England 99th in the rankings and ended in 30th place.

With the form he is in, Hope has an outstanding chance to finish the Zimbabwe tour inside the top 20 as he trails 20th-ranked Usman Khawaja of Australia by just eight points.

18th-ranked Kraigg Brathwaite remains the Windies’ highest-ranked batsman, though his lead over Hope has been trimmed to just 14 points.

Zimbabwe fought gallantly in the Test, where they scored 159 and 316 to fall 117 runs short.

The host side was mesmerised by Bishoo, who won the ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year award in 2011.

The 31-year-old from Guyana returned figures of five for 79 and four for 105 to not only walk away with the player of the match award but also collect 62 ranking points on the way, which have helped him lift from 28th place to a career-best 21st position.

Bishoo is now the Windies’ highest-ranked bowler, moving four places ahead of fast bowler Shannon Gabriel, who has slipped from 21st to 25th. Bishoo is now only eight points shy of leapfrogging England’s Moeen Ali to enter the top 20 for the first time in his career.

Chase and Bishoo have also improved their rankings in the all-rounders’ category. Chase is now 16th after rising two places, while Bishoo is 21st after lifting eight places.

Zimbabwe may have lost the Test, but they still have something to cheer.

Captain Graeme Cremer, who took four for 64 and four for 114, has vaulted 12 places to occupy 45th position in the latest bowlers’ rankings, while Sean Williams, who bagged three for 20 and three for 91, has rocketed 19 places to share 70th position with Sri Lanka’s Lahiru Kumara.

In the batting table, opener Hamilton Masakadza, who scored 42 and 57, has risen seven places to 49th, while Brendan Taylor, who scored 1 and 73, has returned to the rankings in 37th position alongside Chase.

The Test player rankings will now be updated following the conclusion of the second Test, which will be played in Bulawayo from Sunday, 29 October.

Batsmen (top 10)

Rank      ( /-)         Player                    Team     Pts          Avge      Highest Rating

1           ( – )          Steve Smith          Aus         936         59.66     941 v Ind at Dharamsala 2017

2           ( – )          Joe Root                Eng         889         53.76     917 v Aus at Trent Bridge 2015

3           ( – )          Kane Williamson NZ           880         51.16     893 v Aus at Perth 2015

4           ( – )          C. Pujara               Ind          876         52.65     888 v SL at Colombo (SSC) 2017

5           ( – )          David Warner       Aus         807         47.94     880 v NZ at Perth 2015

6           ( – )          Virat Kohli             Ind          806         49.55     895 v Ban at Hyderabad 2017

7           ( – )          Hashim Amla       SA           795         49.87     907 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2013

8           ( – )          Lokesh Rahul       Ind          761*!     46.27     761 v SL at Pallekele 2017

9           ( – )          Ajinkya Rahane   Ind          760         47.61     825 v NZ at Indore 2016

10         ( – )          Azhar Ali                Pak         755         46.62     787 v Aus at Melbourne 2016

Bowlers (top 10)

Rank    ( /-)           Player                    Team     Pts          Avge      Highest Rating

1           ( – )          James Anderson Eng         896!       27.39     896 v Win at Lord’s 2017

2           ( – )          Ravindra Jadeja  Ind          884         23.60     899 v Aus at Ranchi 2017

3           ( – )          Kagiso Rabada    SA           876!       22.71     876 v Ban at Bloemfontein 2017

4           ( – )          R. Ashwin              Ind          852         25.26     904 v Eng at Mumbai 2016

5           ( – )          Rangana Herath  SL           833         27.82     867 v Zim at Harare 2016

6           ( – )          Josh Hazlewood  Aus         794         25.75     863 v Ind at Bengaluru 2017

7           ( – )          Nathan Lyon         Aus         752!       31.83     752 v Ban at Chittagong 2017

8           ( – )          Dale Steyn            SA           748         22.30     909 v Win at Centurion 2014

9           ( – )          Neil Wagner         NZ           745         28.90     767 v SA at Dunedin 2017

10         ( – )          Stuart Broad         Eng         737         28.81     880 v SA at Johannesburg 2016