ICC MEDIA RELEASE
Dubai, 29 January 2008
Pacer retains fourth place in LG ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers; Batsmen Clarke, Tendulkar and Sehwag make strides; Kumble into top 10 all-rounders
Australia pace bowler Brett Lee has achieved the highest rating of his career to date in the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers following the Test series against India and is now in fourth position, fast closing on those bowlers ahead of him.
Lee, who was named the Man of the Series, played a big role in securing a 2-1 series win for Australia , taking 24 wickets at an average of 22.58. That effort has continued his rise and he now sits on 795 ratings points, poised to become the fourth bowler in the world currently beyond the magic 800-point mark.
It is all part of a steady progress for the 31-year-old New South Welshman over the past year or so. He is ahead of South Africa ’s Makhaya Ntini and now has Ntini’s team-mate Dale Steyn and Australia ’s Stuart Clark in his sights. It is interesting to note that 12 months ago Lee was placed in 15th position.
Clark has exchanged places again with Steyn after the drawn Adelaide Test when he failed to take a wicket. It remains very close between them, though, with just three ratings points separating Steyn in second spot and third-placed Clark. And now they have Lee breathing down their necks.
However, he still has a long way to go before he catches Sri Lanka ’s Muttiah Muralidaran, whose remarkable run at the top continues without, it seems, any wavering in form from the record-breaking off-spinner.
Meanwhile, Australia ’s young gun Mitchell Johnson has moved up nine places to 42nd in the list after taking six wickets in the fourth Test, including a four-wicket haul in the first innings. His match figures of 6-159 were his best effort so far in Tests and he has now overtaken the likes of Daren Powell of the West Indies, Kyle Mills of New Zealand and England’s Ryan Sidebottom to break into the top 50 for the first time.
In the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen, Michael Clarke of Australia and India ’s Sachin Tendulkar have both gained one place in the top 20 and now sit on 11th and 12th positions, respectively.
Clarke scored 118 in Adelaide , his sixth Test century, while Tendulkar excelled in the first innings, stroking a masterful 153, registering his 39th hundred in Test matches. Tendulkar is currently enjoying his highest Test ranking for two years.
Andrew Symonds fell three places and out of the top 20 to 21st position after a relatively disappointing match with the bat for the Queenslander.
Gaining on him is Virender Sehwag of India , whose 63 and 151 at Adelaide has pushed him up eight places to 24th place in the rankings.
The batting rankings are still headed by Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka, ahead of South Africa’s Jacques Kallis in second place and Michael Hussey of Australia in third.
Hussey steadily progressed through the rankings during the series with India and is now poised to take top spot if he continues his good form. That said, along with his Australia team-mates he will now take a break from Test cricket so as to concentrate on the one-day form of the game as the tri-series with India and Sri Lanka is very much on the horizon.
Meanwhile, his captain Ricky Ponting retains fourth spot and is moving in the right direction again having returned to form with a beautifully constructed century.
India captain Anil Kumble has progressed four places up the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders and is now in seventh position, enjoying the highest rating of his career to date. Kumble took only one wicket in Australia ’s first innings but hit 87 and 9 not out in the match to put pressure on the top five in the all-rounders’ list.
That means, with Irfan Pathan currently occupying sixth place, India can boast two Test all-rounders in the top seven.
Kallis still heads the rankings, followed by Andrew Flintoff of England in second and New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori in third place.
LG ICC Test Rankings (as of 29 January)
Batsmen
Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
1 ( - ) K.C.Sangakkara SL 933 56.37 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
2 ( - ) Jacques Kallis SA 917 58.11 935 v NZ at Centurion 2007
3 ( - ) Mike Hussey Aus 912*! 78.14 912 v Ind at Adelaide 2008
4 ( - ) Ricky Ponting Aus 899 58.53 942 v Eng at Adelaide 2006
5 ( - ) Mhd Yousuf Pak 880 55.49 933 v WI at Karachi 2006
6 ( - ) Matthew Hayden Aus 860 53.51 935 v Eng at Brisbane 2002
7 ( - ) M.Jayawardena SL 835 51.93 836 v Eng at Birmingham 2002
8 ( - ) S.Chanderpaul WI 816 47.31 838 v SA at Cape Town 2008
9 ( - ) Kevin Pietersen Eng 804 50.40 909 v WI at Leeds 2007
10 ( - ) Yunus Khan Pak 799 49.14 856 v Eng at Leeds 2006
11 (+1) Michael Clarke Aus 744 46.45 761 v Ind at Melbourne 2007
12 (+1) S.R.Tendulkar Ind 737 55.57 898 v Zim at Nagpur 2002
13 (-2) Ashwell Prince SA 730 44.25 756 v Pak at Centurion 2007
14 (-1) Alastair Cook Eng 711 ! 45.02 711 v SL at Galle 2007
15 ( - ) Rahul Dravid Ind 704 55.11 892 v Pak at Kolkata 2005
16 ( - ) Stephen Fleming NZ 702 ! 39.73 702 v Ban at Wellington 2008
17 ( - ) VVS Laxman Ind 679 44.20 753 v Aus at Sydney 2004
18 (+1) Graeme Smith SA 665 47.00 756 v NZ at Wellington 2004
19 (+1) P.D.Collingwood Eng 664 42.76 730 v Aus at Adelaide 2006
20 (+1) Ian Bell Eng 657 42.51 684 v SL at Kandy 2007
Bowlers
Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Ave Econ HS Rating
1 ( - ) M.Muralidaran SL 907 21.77 920 v Ban at Kandy 2007
2 (+1) Dale Steyn SA 832*! 23.21 832 v WI at Durban 2008
3 (-1) Stuart Clark Aus 829* 21.88 843 v Ind at Perth 2008
4 ( - ) Brett Lee Aus 795 ! 29.97 795 v Ind at Adelaide 2008
5 ( - ) Makhaya Ntini SA 768 28.00 863 v Ind at Durban 2006
6 ( - ) Anil Kumble Ind 738 28.86 859 v SL at Bangalore 1994
7 ( - ) Shane Bond NZ 709* 22.39 778 v WI at Auckland 2006
8 ( - ) Shaun Pollock SA 702 23.11 909 v Eng at Johannesburg 1999
9 ( - ) M’thew Hoggard Eng 695 30.01 795 v SL at Birmingham 2006
10 ( - ) Shoaib Akhtar Pak 684 25.69 855 v NZ at Wellington 2003
11 ( - ) Chaminda Vaas SL 666 29.43 800 v Ind at Chennai 2005
12 ( - ) Corey Collymore WI 653* 32.30 700 v Eng at Lord's 2007
13 (+1) Andrew Flintoff Eng 640 32.02 810 v Pak at Multan 2005
14 (-1) Zaheer Khan Ind 638 33.60 689 v Pak at Delhi 2007
15 ( - ) Chris Martin NZ 626 32.47 643 v Eng at Lord's 2004
16 ( - ) Mohammad Asif Pak 619* 23.13 710 v SA at Cape Town 2007
17 ( - ) Danish Kaneria Pak 614 33.90 723 v Eng at Multan 2005
18 ( - ) James Franklin NZ 612* 28.19 679 v SL at Christchurch 2006
19 ( - ) Irfan Pathan Ind 608 31.41 761 v SL at Delhi 2005
20 ( - ) Monty Panesar Eng 589* 32.76 721 v WI at Chester-le-St 2007
All-rounders
Rank (+/-) Player Team Points HS Rating
1 ( - ) Jacques Kallis SA 527 616 v Pak at Durban 2002
2 ( - ) Andrew Flintoff Eng 340 501 v Pak at Multan 2005
3 ( - ) Daniel Vettori NZ 337! 337 v Ban at Wellington 2008
4 ( - ) Shaun Pollock SA 323 490 v Eng at The Oval 2003
5 ( - ) Chaminda Vaas SL 276 281 v Ind at Chennai 2005
Dubai, 29 January 2008
Pacer retains fourth place in LG ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers; Batsmen Clarke, Tendulkar and Sehwag make strides; Kumble into top 10 all-rounders
Australia pace bowler Brett Lee has achieved the highest rating of his career to date in the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers following the Test series against India and is now in fourth position, fast closing on those bowlers ahead of him.
Lee, who was named the Man of the Series, played a big role in securing a 2-1 series win for Australia , taking 24 wickets at an average of 22.58. That effort has continued his rise and he now sits on 795 ratings points, poised to become the fourth bowler in the world currently beyond the magic 800-point mark.
It is all part of a steady progress for the 31-year-old New South Welshman over the past year or so. He is ahead of South Africa ’s Makhaya Ntini and now has Ntini’s team-mate Dale Steyn and Australia ’s Stuart Clark in his sights. It is interesting to note that 12 months ago Lee was placed in 15th position.
Clark has exchanged places again with Steyn after the drawn Adelaide Test when he failed to take a wicket. It remains very close between them, though, with just three ratings points separating Steyn in second spot and third-placed Clark. And now they have Lee breathing down their necks.
However, he still has a long way to go before he catches Sri Lanka ’s Muttiah Muralidaran, whose remarkable run at the top continues without, it seems, any wavering in form from the record-breaking off-spinner.
Meanwhile, Australia ’s young gun Mitchell Johnson has moved up nine places to 42nd in the list after taking six wickets in the fourth Test, including a four-wicket haul in the first innings. His match figures of 6-159 were his best effort so far in Tests and he has now overtaken the likes of Daren Powell of the West Indies, Kyle Mills of New Zealand and England’s Ryan Sidebottom to break into the top 50 for the first time.
In the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen, Michael Clarke of Australia and India ’s Sachin Tendulkar have both gained one place in the top 20 and now sit on 11th and 12th positions, respectively.
Clarke scored 118 in Adelaide , his sixth Test century, while Tendulkar excelled in the first innings, stroking a masterful 153, registering his 39th hundred in Test matches. Tendulkar is currently enjoying his highest Test ranking for two years.
Andrew Symonds fell three places and out of the top 20 to 21st position after a relatively disappointing match with the bat for the Queenslander.
Gaining on him is Virender Sehwag of India , whose 63 and 151 at Adelaide has pushed him up eight places to 24th place in the rankings.
The batting rankings are still headed by Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka, ahead of South Africa’s Jacques Kallis in second place and Michael Hussey of Australia in third.
Hussey steadily progressed through the rankings during the series with India and is now poised to take top spot if he continues his good form. That said, along with his Australia team-mates he will now take a break from Test cricket so as to concentrate on the one-day form of the game as the tri-series with India and Sri Lanka is very much on the horizon.
Meanwhile, his captain Ricky Ponting retains fourth spot and is moving in the right direction again having returned to form with a beautifully constructed century.
India captain Anil Kumble has progressed four places up the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders and is now in seventh position, enjoying the highest rating of his career to date. Kumble took only one wicket in Australia ’s first innings but hit 87 and 9 not out in the match to put pressure on the top five in the all-rounders’ list.
That means, with Irfan Pathan currently occupying sixth place, India can boast two Test all-rounders in the top seven.
Kallis still heads the rankings, followed by Andrew Flintoff of England in second and New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori in third place.
LG ICC Test Rankings (as of 29 January)
Batsmen
Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
1 ( - ) K.C.Sangakkara SL 933 56.37 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
2 ( - ) Jacques Kallis SA 917 58.11 935 v NZ at Centurion 2007
3 ( - ) Mike Hussey Aus 912*! 78.14 912 v Ind at Adelaide 2008
4 ( - ) Ricky Ponting Aus 899 58.53 942 v Eng at Adelaide 2006
5 ( - ) Mhd Yousuf Pak 880 55.49 933 v WI at Karachi 2006
6 ( - ) Matthew Hayden Aus 860 53.51 935 v Eng at Brisbane 2002
7 ( - ) M.Jayawardena SL 835 51.93 836 v Eng at Birmingham 2002
8 ( - ) S.Chanderpaul WI 816 47.31 838 v SA at Cape Town 2008
9 ( - ) Kevin Pietersen Eng 804 50.40 909 v WI at Leeds 2007
10 ( - ) Yunus Khan Pak 799 49.14 856 v Eng at Leeds 2006
11 (+1) Michael Clarke Aus 744 46.45 761 v Ind at Melbourne 2007
12 (+1) S.R.Tendulkar Ind 737 55.57 898 v Zim at Nagpur 2002
13 (-2) Ashwell Prince SA 730 44.25 756 v Pak at Centurion 2007
14 (-1) Alastair Cook Eng 711 ! 45.02 711 v SL at Galle 2007
15 ( - ) Rahul Dravid Ind 704 55.11 892 v Pak at Kolkata 2005
16 ( - ) Stephen Fleming NZ 702 ! 39.73 702 v Ban at Wellington 2008
17 ( - ) VVS Laxman Ind 679 44.20 753 v Aus at Sydney 2004
18 (+1) Graeme Smith SA 665 47.00 756 v NZ at Wellington 2004
19 (+1) P.D.Collingwood Eng 664 42.76 730 v Aus at Adelaide 2006
20 (+1) Ian Bell Eng 657 42.51 684 v SL at Kandy 2007
Bowlers
Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Ave Econ HS Rating
1 ( - ) M.Muralidaran SL 907 21.77 920 v Ban at Kandy 2007
2 (+1) Dale Steyn SA 832*! 23.21 832 v WI at Durban 2008
3 (-1) Stuart Clark Aus 829* 21.88 843 v Ind at Perth 2008
4 ( - ) Brett Lee Aus 795 ! 29.97 795 v Ind at Adelaide 2008
5 ( - ) Makhaya Ntini SA 768 28.00 863 v Ind at Durban 2006
6 ( - ) Anil Kumble Ind 738 28.86 859 v SL at Bangalore 1994
7 ( - ) Shane Bond NZ 709* 22.39 778 v WI at Auckland 2006
8 ( - ) Shaun Pollock SA 702 23.11 909 v Eng at Johannesburg 1999
9 ( - ) M’thew Hoggard Eng 695 30.01 795 v SL at Birmingham 2006
10 ( - ) Shoaib Akhtar Pak 684 25.69 855 v NZ at Wellington 2003
11 ( - ) Chaminda Vaas SL 666 29.43 800 v Ind at Chennai 2005
12 ( - ) Corey Collymore WI 653* 32.30 700 v Eng at Lord's 2007
13 (+1) Andrew Flintoff Eng 640 32.02 810 v Pak at Multan 2005
14 (-1) Zaheer Khan Ind 638 33.60 689 v Pak at Delhi 2007
15 ( - ) Chris Martin NZ 626 32.47 643 v Eng at Lord's 2004
16 ( - ) Mohammad Asif Pak 619* 23.13 710 v SA at Cape Town 2007
17 ( - ) Danish Kaneria Pak 614 33.90 723 v Eng at Multan 2005
18 ( - ) James Franklin NZ 612* 28.19 679 v SL at Christchurch 2006
19 ( - ) Irfan Pathan Ind 608 31.41 761 v SL at Delhi 2005
20 ( - ) Monty Panesar Eng 589* 32.76 721 v WI at Chester-le-St 2007
All-rounders
Rank (+/-) Player Team Points HS Rating
1 ( - ) Jacques Kallis SA 527 616 v Pak at Durban 2002
2 ( - ) Andrew Flintoff Eng 340 501 v Pak at Multan 2005
3 ( - ) Daniel Vettori NZ 337! 337 v Ban at Wellington 2008
4 ( - ) Shaun Pollock SA 323 490 v Eng at The Oval 2003
5 ( - ) Chaminda Vaas SL 276 281 v Ind at Chennai 2005