Cameron Green Ascends in ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings
Australian cricketer Cameron Green has made significant strides towards the top 20 in the ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings. His unbeaten century was instrumental in Australia’s 172-run victory over New Zealand in the first Test of their two-match ICC World Test Championship series in Wellington.
Green, who earned the title of Player of the Match for his impressive 174 not out in the first innings, has risen 22 places to 23rd position. Meanwhile, his fellow Australian players Steve Smith, Travis Head, and Marnus Labuschagne have seen a dip in their rankings.
Smith has fallen to third place (behind Joe Root) after scoring 31 and zero, marking his first time below 800 rating points since 2014. Labuschagne has dropped out of the top 10 for the first time since December 2019, having scored only three runs in the match. Head’s ranking has also slipped, allowing Indian batters Virat Kohli, Yashaswi Jaiswal, and Rohit Sharma to climb in the rankings.
Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon’s 10-wicket match haul, the first by a spinner in a Test in New Zealand since Daniel Vettori’s 2006 performance against Sri Lanka, has propelled him two places to sixth in the bowling rankings. He now stands at 797 rating points, just shy of his career-best tally achieved at Edgbaston last year before his Ashes series-ending injury.
For New Zealand, all-rounder Glenn Phillips has made the most significant leap, moving from 70th to 52nd position in the batting rankings following his first innings score of 71. His five-wicket haul in the second innings has also boosted his bowling ranking from 67th to 48th. Additionally, he has climbed 12 places to 11th among all-rounders.
Matt Henry’s eight wickets in the match have propelled him into the top 20 for the first time. Other Kiwi players to improve their rankings include Rachin Ravindra (up five places to 76th among batters) and William O’Rourke (up four places to 57th among bowlers).
In the latest weekly update to the men’s rankings, which also considers performances in the one-off Test between Afghanistan and Ireland in Abu Dhabi, Mark Adair has ascended 30 slots to 69th position among bowlers. His eight-wicket match haul was instrumental in Ireland’s historic first Test win.
Andy Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Paul Stirling, and Andy McBrine have all advanced within the top 100 in the batting rankings.
Afghanistan batter Hashmatullah Shahidi has climbed five slots to reach 81st position, while Naveed Zadran has ascended 32 places to reach 79th position among bowlers.