West Indies leapfrog England to become No. 3 in latest ICC T20I rankings
Following their win against New Zealand in the 2024 T20 World Cup on Thursday, the West Indies leapfrogged England to become the third-ranked team in the latest ICC T20I rankings. The co-hosts of the ongoing mega ICC event are only behind India and Australia in the rankings. However, both England and the West Indies have the same number of points with 254.
A masterclass from Sherfane Rutherford on a tricky wicket at the Brian Lara Stadium helped the Men in Maroon outclass the Black Caps. The co-hosts had slipped to 112-9 at one stage, but Rutherford's unbeaten 68 lifted them to 149 in 20 overs. Later, Alzarri Joseph registered figures of 4-0-19-4 to fashion a 13-run win for his team.
With that win, they also became the first team from Group C to seal a spot in the Super 8 stage. The two-time champions' campaign opened with a hard-fought victory over Papua New Guinea, after which they demolished Uganda by 134 runs.
It has been an excellent turnaround for Rovman Powell and his men after having failed to qualify even for the first round in the 2022 edition. The Caribbeans' both T20 World Cup victories (in 2012 and 2016) came under the leadership of Darren Sammy and the former all-rounder will hope to win one as a coach.
West Indies' final group game is against Afghanistan on Tuesday.
Afghanistan join West Indies as New Zealand miss out on Super 8
Meanwhile, Afghanistan became the second side from Group C to make it to the Super 8 stage. The sub-continent team has played some excellent cricket throughout the event. They started by defeating Uganda by 125 runs.
Afghanistan's first win in any format over New Zealand also came in the ongoing showpiece event, hammering them by 84 runs. They proceeded to defeat Papua New Guinea, thereby cementing their spot in the Super 8.