Lions and Tigers hunt rankings bump
Sri Lanka get a chance to overtake Pakistan on the ICC Test Team Rankings table during an upcoming two-match series in the United Arab Emirates starting on Thursday.
Meanwhile South Africa could slip from second to third position if they lose their two-Test home series against Bangladesh starting the same day.
Sri Lanka will leapfrog Pakistan to sixth position with even a 1-0 win in the series while Pakistan could gain four points and reach 97 points with a 2-0 series win, the same as New Zealand and Australia, but will be behind on decimal points and remain in sixth position.
Pakistan v Sri Lanka series scenarios:
Pakistan beat Sri Lanka 2-0 – Pakistan 97 points, Sri Lanka 86 points
Pakistan beat Sri Lanka 1-0 – Pakistan 95 points, Sri Lanka 87 points
Series drawn 1-1 or 0-0 – Pakistan 92 points, Sri Lanka 90 points
Sri Lanka beat Pakistan 1-0 – Sri Lanka 93 points, Pakistan 89 points
Sri Lanka beat Pakistan 2-0 – Sri Lanka 94 points, Pakistan 88 points
The Test team rankings, unlike the ODI and T20I rankings, are updated after the end of the series.
In the ICC Test Player Rankings, Pakistan boast Azhar Ali at number seven among batsmen while captain Sarfraz Ahmed will start his first series as Test captain at 27th position.
Among their bowlers, leg-spinner Yasir Shah returns from injury as the team’s leading bowler at 15th rank while pace bowler Wahab Riaz is the next on the rankings table in 25th position.
For Sri Lanka, Kusal Mendis (24th) and Dinesh Chandimal (33rd) are the leading batsmen according to the rankings while left-arm spinner Rangana Herath (fourth), Dilruwan Perera (27th) and Nuwan Pradeep (34th) are the lead bowlers.
In South Africa, even a drawn series will help Bangladesh overtake the Windies to eighth position on the points table since only one point separates these two sides.
On the other hand, South Africa have the danger of slipping behind England with even a 1-0 loss.
South Africa v Bangladesh series scenarios:
South Africa beat Bangladesh 2-0 – South Africa 111 points, Bangladesh 72 points
South Africa beat Bangladesh 1-0 – South Africa 109 points, Bangladesh 74 points
Series drawn 1-1 or 0-0 – South Africa 106 points, Bangladesh 78 points
Bangladesh beat South Africa 1-0 – Bangladesh 83 points, South Africa 103 points
Bangladesh beat South Africa 2-0 – Bangladesh 85 points, South Africa 102 points
In the individual rankings, South Africa have batsmen Hashim Amla (eighth), Quinton de Kock (12th), Dean Elgar (16th) and captain Faf du Plessis (joint-18th) in the top 20 while pace bowlers Kagiso Rabada (sixth), Morne Morkel (14th) and Keshav Maharaj (23rd) are the top bowlers.
Left-handed opener Tamim Iqbal is the leading Bangladesh batsman at 15th position while captain Mushfiqur Rahim is ranked 23rd. In the absence of world’s top all-rounder Shakib Al Hassan, who has taken a sabbatical from Test cricket, off-spinner Mehedi Hasan is the leading bowler in 29th position with Taijul Islam in 32nd place.
In South Africa, even a drawn series will help Bangladesh overtake the Windies to eighth position on the points table.
In South Africa, even a drawn series will help Bangladesh overtake the Windies to eighth position on the points table.
Series schedule:
Pakistan v Sri Lanka:
28 September – 2 October – 1st Test, Abu Dhabi
6-10 October – 2nd Test (day-night), Dubai
South Africa v Bangladesh:
28 September – 2 October – 1st Test, Potchefstroom
6-10 October – 2nd Test, Blomfontein
MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings (as on 26 September 2017, before the South Africa v Bangladesh and Pakistan v Sri Lanka series)
Rank Team Points
1 India 125
2 South Africa 110
3 England 105
4 New Zealand 97
5 Australia 97
6 Pakistan 93
7 Sri Lanka 90
8 West Indies 75
9 Bangladesh 74
10 Zimbabwe 00
(Developed by David Kendix)
For more information on player rankings, please click here.
MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings (as on 26 September, before the South Africa v Bangladesh and Pakistan v Sri Lanka series):
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 K. 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 Azhar Ali Pak 769 46.86 787 v Aus at Melbourne 2016
8 Hashim Amla SA 764 49.00 907 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2013
9 Lokesh Rahul Ind 761*! 46.27 761 v SL at Pallekele 2017
10 A. Rahane Ind 760 47.61 825 v NZ at Indore 2016
Other selected rankings
Rank Player Team Pts Avge Highest Rating
12 Q. de Kock SA 729* 44.64 802 v NZ at Hamilton 2017
15 Tamim Iqbal Ban 679 39.65 709 v Aus at Mirpur 2017
16 Dean Elgar SA 674 38.86 740 v NZ at Dunedin 2017
18= S. Al Hasan Ban 668 40.38 694 v Aus at Mirpur 2017
Faf du Plessis SA 668 43.28 710 v Win at Port Elizabeth 2014
22 A. Mathews SL 659 44.93 877 v NZ at Christchurch 2014
23 M. Rahim Ban 658! 35.65 658 v Aus at Chittagong 2017
24 Kusal Mendis SL 650 35.46 692 v Aus at Galle 2016
Bowlers (top 10)
Rank Player Team Pts Avge Highest Rating
1 J. Anderson Eng 896! 27.39 896 v Win at Lord’s 2017
2 R. Jadeja Ind 884 23.60 899 v Aus at Ranchi 2017
3 R. Ashwin Ind 852 25.26 904 v Eng at Mumbai 2016
4 R. Herath SL 809 28.25 867 v Zim at Harare 2016
5 J. Hazlewood Aus 794 25.75 863 v Ind at Bengaluru 2017
6 K. Rabada SA 785* 24.56 821 v SL at Johannesburg 2017
7 Dale Steyn SA 763 22.30 909 v Win at Centurion 2014
8 Nathan Lyon Aus 752 ! 31.83 752 v Ban at Chittagong 2017
9 V. Philander SA 751 22.45 912 v Ind at Johannesburg 2013
10 Neil Wagner NZ 745 28.90 767 v SA at Dunedin 2017
Other selected rankings
Rank Player Team Pts Avge Highest Rating
14 Morne Morkel SA 713 29.01 776 v Aus at Cape Town 2011
15 Yasir Shah Pak 698 29.91 878 v Eng at Lord’s 2016
17 S. Al Hasan Ban 682 32.35 705 v Aus at Mirpur 2017
23 K. Maharaj SA 565* 27.65 576 v Eng at The Oval 2017
25 Wahab Riaz Pak 558* 34.35 579 v Aus at Sydney 2017
27 D. Perera SL 540* 33.39 674 v Zim at Harare 2016
34 N. Pradeep SL 478* 42.98 501 v Ind at Galle 2017
35 Rahat Ali Pak 472* 37.43 499 v NZ at Christchurch 2016
All-rounders (top five)
Rank Player Team Pts Highest Rating
1 S. Al Hasan Ban 456 489 v Aus at Mirpur 2017
2 R. Jadeja Ind 430 438 v SL at Colombo (SSC) 2017
3 R. Ashwin Ind 422 493 v Eng at Mohali 2016
4 Ben Stokes Eng 396/*! 396 v Win at Lord’s 2017
5 Moeen Ali Eng 378 409 v SA at Old Trafford 2017
*indicates provisional rating; a batsman qualifies for a full rating after playing 40 Test innings; a bowler qualifies for a full rating when he reaches 100 Test wickets.
! indicates career-highest rating
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