ICC MEDIA RELEASE
Dubai , 20 February 2008
South Africa pair of Jacques Kallis and Dale Steyn will have to scale a mountain if they are to dislodge Sri Lanka duo of Kumar Sangakkara and Muttiah Muralidaran from the top of LG ICC Test Player Rankings in the forthcoming series against Bangladesh
Kallis is currently placed second behind Sangakkara in the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen. And although the 32-year-old is just 16 ratings points behind the man from Matale, he will have to score heavily in the two-Test series starting 22 February if he is to reclaim the top slot.
Kallis, a veteran of 114 Tests, scored 1,210 at 86.43 from nine Tests in 2007 while in the two Tests against the West Indies this year, he has scored 312 runs. In the two Tests he has played against Bangladesh , Kallis has scored 214 with a top score of 139 not out at Sedgars Park in Potchefstroom in October 2002.
Besides Kallis , South Africa has no batsman in top 10 but boasts Ashwell Prince (13th) and captain Graeme Smith (18th) in the top 20. AB de Villiers is the next highest ranked Proteas batsman in 34th place while Hashim Amla is currently in 35th place.
For Bangladesh , Shahariar Nafees is the highest ranked batsman in 36th position. Aftab Ahmed (40th), Mohammad Ashraful (53rd) and Tamim Iqbal (99th) are the other notable batsmen who will be hoping to make progress in the right direction.
In the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers, second-placed Steyn can displace Muralidaran from top spot for the first time in nearly two years but will have to collect a bagful of Bangladesh wickets in the Dhaka and Chittagong Tests.
On the other side of the coin, if Steyn fails to repeat the form which has seen him collect 83 wickets in his last 15 Tests, he could fall below Australia new ball pair of Stuart Clark and Brett Lee.
Steyn, who has played 18 Tests, is still qualifying for a full rating and every wicket earns him qualifying points at the moment.
Makhaya Ntini (5th) and Andre Nel (20th) are the other South Africa bowlers in top 20 and along with Kallis (23rd) will be hoping to make upwards movement.
Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak in 20th place is the highest ranked Bangladesh bowler and has an excellent opportunity to rise as high as 16th if he produces a few steller performances with the red cherry.
Vice captain Mashrafe Mortaza is in 32nd place and also will be looking to climb the ladder.
In the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders, Kallis continues to lead the field by a comfortable margin and is the only player from either side in the top 10.
In the LG Test Championship, South Africa has a chance to join Sri Lanka on 109 points. However, Smith’s side will remain below Mahela Jayawardena’s side in fourth place when the points are calculated beyond the decimal point.
The Proteas team will, however, fall below fifth-placed England if it loses the series. A 2-0 defeat will leave it on 101 ratings points while a 1-0 loss will put it on 102 ratings points. However, on past form this result looks unlikely as South Africa has emerged comfortable winners in all its previous four Tests against Bangladesh .
Schedule:
22-26 February – first Test, Dhaka
29 February-4 March – second Test, Chittagong
LG Test Championship (as of 20 February)
South Africa pair of Jacques Kallis and Dale Steyn will have to scale a mountain if they are to dislodge Sri Lanka duo of Kumar Sangakkara and Muttiah Muralidaran from the top of LG ICC Test Player Rankings in the forthcoming series against Bangladesh
Kallis is currently placed second behind Sangakkara in the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen. And although the 32-year-old is just 16 ratings points behind the man from Matale, he will have to score heavily in the two-Test series starting 22 February if he is to reclaim the top slot.
Kallis, a veteran of 114 Tests, scored 1,210 at 86.43 from nine Tests in 2007 while in the two Tests against the West Indies this year, he has scored 312 runs. In the two Tests he has played against Bangladesh , Kallis has scored 214 with a top score of 139 not out at Sedgars Park in Potchefstroom in October 2002.
Besides Kallis , South Africa has no batsman in top 10 but boasts Ashwell Prince (13th) and captain Graeme Smith (18th) in the top 20. AB de Villiers is the next highest ranked Proteas batsman in 34th place while Hashim Amla is currently in 35th place.
For Bangladesh , Shahariar Nafees is the highest ranked batsman in 36th position. Aftab Ahmed (40th), Mohammad Ashraful (53rd) and Tamim Iqbal (99th) are the other notable batsmen who will be hoping to make progress in the right direction.
In the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers, second-placed Steyn can displace Muralidaran from top spot for the first time in nearly two years but will have to collect a bagful of Bangladesh wickets in the Dhaka and Chittagong Tests.
On the other side of the coin, if Steyn fails to repeat the form which has seen him collect 83 wickets in his last 15 Tests, he could fall below Australia new ball pair of Stuart Clark and Brett Lee.
Steyn, who has played 18 Tests, is still qualifying for a full rating and every wicket earns him qualifying points at the moment.
Makhaya Ntini (5th) and Andre Nel (20th) are the other South Africa bowlers in top 20 and along with Kallis (23rd) will be hoping to make upwards movement.
Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak in 20th place is the highest ranked Bangladesh bowler and has an excellent opportunity to rise as high as 16th if he produces a few steller performances with the red cherry.
Vice captain Mashrafe Mortaza is in 32nd place and also will be looking to climb the ladder.
In the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders, Kallis continues to lead the field by a comfortable margin and is the only player from either side in the top 10.
In the LG Test Championship, South Africa has a chance to join Sri Lanka on 109 points. However, Smith’s side will remain below Mahela Jayawardena’s side in fourth place when the points are calculated beyond the decimal point.
The Proteas team will, however, fall below fifth-placed England if it loses the series. A 2-0 defeat will leave it on 101 ratings points while a 1-0 loss will put it on 102 ratings points. However, on past form this result looks unlikely as South Africa has emerged comfortable winners in all its previous four Tests against Bangladesh .
Schedule:
22-26 February – first Test, Dhaka
29 February-4 March – second Test, Chittagong
LG Test Championship (as of 20 February)
Rank Team Rating
1 Australia 141
2 India 111
3 Sri Lanka 109
3 Sri Lanka 109
4 South Africa 108
5 England 107
6 Pakistan 94
7 New Zealand 93
8 West Indies 73
9 Bangladesh 2
Note: Zimbabwe has a rating of 12 but has not played a sufficient number of Test matches over the new rating period (since August 2004) to be included on the main table. LG ICC Player Rankings (as of 20 February)
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 Mohd 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 Michael Clarke Aus 744 46.45 761 v Ind at Melbourne 2007
12 S.R.Tendulkar Ind 737 55.57 898 v Zim at Nagpur 2002
13 Ashwell Prince SA 730 44.25 756 v Pak at Centurion 2007
14 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 Graeme Smith SA 665 47.00 756 v NZ at Wellington 2004
19 P.D.Collingwood Eng 664 42.76 730 v Aus at Adelaide 2006
20 Ian Bell Eng 657 42.51 684 v SL at Kandy 2007
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 Mohd 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 Michael Clarke Aus 744 46.45 761 v Ind at Melbourne 2007
12 S.R.Tendulkar Ind 737 55.57 898 v Zim at Nagpur 2002
13 Ashwell Prince SA 730 44.25 756 v Pak at Centurion 2007
14 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 Graeme Smith SA 665 47.00 756 v NZ at Wellington 2004
19 P.D.Collingwood Eng 664 42.76 730 v Aus at Adelaide 2006
20 Ian Bell Eng 657 42.51 684 v SL at Kandy 2007
Bowlers Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
1 M.Muralidaran SL 907 21.77 920 v Ban at Kandy 2007
2 Dale Steyn SA 832*! 23.21 832 v WI at Durban 2008
3 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 Matthew Hoggard Eng 695 30.01 795 v SL at Birmingham 2006
9 Shoaib Akhtar Pak 684 25.69 855 v NZ at Wellington 2003
10 Chaminda Vaas SL 666 29.43 800 v Ind at Chennai 2005
11 Corey Collymore WI 653* 32.30 700 v Eng at Lord's 2007
12 Andrew Flintoff Eng 640 32.02 810 v Pak at Multan 2005
13 Zaheer Khan Ind 638 33.60 689 v Pak at Delhi 2007
14 Chris Martin NZ 626 32.47 643 v Eng at Lord's 2004
15 Mohammad Asif Pak 619* 23.13 710 v SA at Cape Town 2007
16 Danish Kaneria Pak 614 33.90 723 v Eng at Multan 2005
17 James Franklin NZ 612* 28.19 679 v SL at Christchurch 2006
18 Irfan Pathan Ind 608 31.41 761 v SL at Delhi 2005
19 Monty Panesar Eng 589* 32.76 721 v WI at Chester-le-St 2007
20 Daniel Vettori NZ 584 34.22 681 v Aus at Auckland 2000
20 Andre Nel SA 584 31.22 763 v Aus at Sydney 2006
1 M.Muralidaran SL 907 21.77 920 v Ban at Kandy 2007
2 Dale Steyn SA 832*! 23.21 832 v WI at Durban 2008
3 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 Matthew Hoggard Eng 695 30.01 795 v SL at Birmingham 2006
9 Shoaib Akhtar Pak 684 25.69 855 v NZ at Wellington 2003
10 Chaminda Vaas SL 666 29.43 800 v Ind at Chennai 2005
11 Corey Collymore WI 653* 32.30 700 v Eng at Lord's 2007
12 Andrew Flintoff Eng 640 32.02 810 v Pak at Multan 2005
13 Zaheer Khan Ind 638 33.60 689 v Pak at Delhi 2007
14 Chris Martin NZ 626 32.47 643 v Eng at Lord's 2004
15 Mohammad Asif Pak 619* 23.13 710 v SA at Cape Town 2007
16 Danish Kaneria Pak 614 33.90 723 v Eng at Multan 2005
17 James Franklin NZ 612* 28.19 679 v SL at Christchurch 2006
18 Irfan Pathan Ind 608 31.41 761 v SL at Delhi 2005
19 Monty Panesar Eng 589* 32.76 721 v WI at Chester-le-St 2007
20 Daniel Vettori NZ 584 34.22 681 v Aus at Auckland 2000
20 Andre Nel SA 584 31.22 763 v Aus at Sydney 2006
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 Chaminda Vaas SL 276 281 v Ind at Chennai 2005
5 Irfan Pathan Ind 259*/ 317 v Eng at Mohali 2006
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 Chaminda Vaas SL 276 281 v Ind at Chennai 2005
5 Irfan Pathan Ind 259*/ 317 v Eng at Mohali 2006