AB de Villiers reclaims top batting spot in latest ICC ODI rankings
South African star batsman AB de Villiers has regained his numero uno spot in the latest ODI rankings released for batsmen by the ICC. The 33-year old, with 262 runs in the ODI series against New Zealand, took back the top spot from David Warner, a position he had lost to India captain Virat Kohli just two months back.
Also read: South Africa retains the top ODI ranking
His latest rise just edges him past David Warner by a mere four points, with Kohli on third position, 21 points behind his RCB teammate. The swashbuckling right-hander has always been one of the contenders for the top spot, having not lost his place in the top-5 even once since September 2009.
Joe Root and Alex Hales, who helped themselves to hundreds in their previous ODI against West Indies, were also major gainers in the latest rankings, reaching the fourth and sixteenth spot respectively. With Joe Root rising four places to the No.4 spot, Faf du Plessis has encountered a one point slide, now reaching the fifth spot in the rankings. Kiwi opener Martin Guptill achieved a two-place jump, while Steve Smith broke into the top 10, joint with Pakistan’s Babar Azam. After Kohli, Rohit Sharma is the highest ranked Indian batsman, placed at the 12th spot.
In the bowler’s rankings, Imran Tahir maintained his top spot with 750 points, 50 clear of Sunil Narine, who jumped one place to be tied at No.2 with Australian speedster Mitchell Starc, who was recently ruled out of the India tour with a stress fracture to his right foot. His Proteas teammate Kagiso Rabada also witnessed a two-place jump, helping him break into the top-5. Axar Patel, Amit Mishra and Ravichandran Ashwin are the only Indians in the top-20, with Patel the highest ranked at No.11.
ODI rankings for batsmen
| No. | Batsmen | Ranking Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | AB de Villiers (SA) | 875 |
| 2. | David Warner (AUS) | 871 |
| 3. | Virat Kohli (IND) | 852 |
| 4. | Joe Root (ENG) | 787 |
| 5. | Faf du Plessis (SA) | 781 |
| 6. | Quinton de Kock (SA) | 780 |
| 7. | Martin Guptill (NZ) | 777 |
| 8. | Kane Williamson (NZ) | 758 |
| 9. | Babar Azam (PAK) | 733 |
| 10. | , Steve Smith (AUS) | 733 |
ODI rankings for bowlers
| No. | Bowlers | Ranking Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Imran Tahir (SA) | 750 |
| 2. | Sunil Narine (WI) | 700 |
| 3. | Mitchell Starc (AUS) | 700 |
| 4. | Trent Boult (NZ) | 697 |
| 5. | Kagiso Rabada (SA) | 686 |
| 6. | Josh Hazlewood (AUS) | 684 |
| 7. | Mohammad Nabi (AFG) | 653 |
| 8. | Shakib Al Hasan (BAN) | 643 |
| 9. | Chris Woakes (ENG) | 636 |
| 10. | Matt Henry (NZ) | 619 |