AUCKLAND: Kane Williamson’s 238 in the second Test against Pakistan has helped him reach the best ever-rating points by a New Zealand player while consolidating his position at the top of the list of batsmen in ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings.
According to a statement, the Kiwi player has reached 919 rating points after being named player of the series for leading his side to an innings and 176 runs win and a 2-0 victory in the two-Test series.
The only other player from New Zealand to go past the 900-point mark was Richard Hadlee when he reached a career-high of 909 rating points in bowling in December 1985.
There was a switch just below him, with Australia’s Steven Smith replacing Virat Kohli in the second position following the Sydney Test where he was the Player of the Match.
In other changes after the thrilling draw in Sydney, Marnus Labuschagne achieved a career-best 866 points to stay at No. 4. Among bowlers, Josh Hazlewood gained three places to reach No. 5 after picking up four wickets in the game.
For India, Cheteshwar Pujara’s twin half-centuries pushed him up to No. 8 from the tenth spot, while Rishabh Pant’s aggressive 97 in the second innings helped him jump 19 spots to No. 26. Shubman Gill, Hanuma Vihari and R Ashwin also made gains after playing crucial innings in helping India salvage the draw.
Following the conclusion of the Christchurch Test between New Zealand and Pakistan, Henry Nicholls’ 157 brought him inside the top ten for batsmen after he gained three places to become No. 9.
Azhar Ali’s knocks of 93 and 37 have helped him advance him seven places to 18th position and his compatriot Mohammad Rizwan’s first-innings half-century has helped him gain 10 places to reach 37th position.
