Former Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan has returned as the number one ranked all-rounder in the latest Reliance ICC ODI Championship table after a series of strong performances in the Asia Cup.
The left-hander’s 237 runs with the bat have put him in a career-best 12th position, up by 14 places. He slipped one place to eighth in bowlers’ list after his six wickets but earned 27 ratings points for his player of the tournament performance. There was good news for Bangladesh, too. They got five ratings points for the memorable wins against the reigning world champions India and ICC World Cup finalists Sri Lanka. The combination of two means he has pipped Australian Shane Watson to the top spot in all-rounders’ category. Australia’s stand-in captain Watson had leapfrogged Shakib after the tri-series tournament in Australia.
Three West Indians – Darren Sammy, Andre Russell and Kieron Pollard – are the other players to improve their rankings in the latest Reliance ICC Player Rankings for all-rounders’ list which was updated on Monday. Sammy, the West Indies captain, has jumped 18 places to 16th position, Russell has gained 16 places to occupy 18th spot while Pollard has broken into the top 20 for the first time in 19th position.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has moved up one place to fourth in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen along with Shakib while Pakistan’s Umar Akmal has returned to the top 10 in 10th position. Batsmen outside the top 10 and heading in the right direction include Sachin Tendulkar in 27th (up by two), Tamim Iqbal in 29th (up by 10), Suresh Raina in 32nd (up by four), Pollard in 33rd (up by 17), Mohammad Hafeez in 40th (up by eight), David Warner in 43rd (up by 10). In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez gained one place and is now in fourth spot while India’s off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, Watson and Kemar Roach of the West Indies have achieved career-best rankings.
Ashwin has moved up six places to fourth position after his five wickets in three Asia Cup matches in Dhaka while Watson’s 11 wickets against the West Indies have provided him a lift of nine places which makes him his country’s second highest-ranked bowler after Mitchell Johnson in 16th position. Kemar Roach has broken into the top 20 for the first time in his career. The fast bowler, along with Watson, also took 11 wickets in the series for which he has been rewarded with a jump of nine places and puts him in 17th position. In the team standings, Australia have dropped four ratings points after its five-match ODI series against the West Indies ended in a two-all draw in St Lucia on Sunday. Watson’s side had entered the series on 127 ratings points and was guaranteed a number one position in the C’ship table at the April 1 cut-off date after they won the series opener in St Vincent by 64 runs. However, the two loses, one win and a tied-match in the remaining four matches meant Australia conceded four ratings points and finished on 123 ratings points.
