Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has come close to reclaiming his crown as the best all-rounder in Test cricket by rising to second in the ICC Test Player Rankings. Shakib has moved up two places to second in the latest full ICC rankings released on Wednesday, with India’s left-handed batsman Ravindra Jadeja at the top.
Shakib has performed brilliantly for Bangladesh in the ongoing Test series against West Indies in the Caribbean. The Bangladeshi captain scored 51 runs in the first inning and an impressive 63 in the second inning, forcing the West Indies to bat for a second time.
If Shakib returns to the top spot in the overall standings, it will be a huge turnaround for one of the all-time greats from Bangladesh. Shakib first claimed the top ranking for test off-roaders in December 2011 and has since maintained his position near the top despite some injury concerns in his career.
He currently has a rating of 346 points but there is still a long way to go, if he wants to beat Jadeja (385 rating), he will have to do better in bowling. Shakib, along with new No. 1 Joe Root, jumped 14 places to 32nd in the latest Test batting rankings after his exploits against New Zealand earlier this month.
West Indies pacemaker Kemar Roach also made his way into the latest bowlers list, with the veteran right-hander jumping four places to eighth after an impressive performance against Bangladesh. Roach took seven wickets in the first test and was named man of the match for his efforts.
The 33-year-old was up against New Zealand pairing Neil Wagner and Trent Boult and Australian pairing Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, with Pat Cummins still ranked as the highest-ranked bowler in the new rankings.
The T20 standings underwent several changes, with many Indian players making big strides after their recently completed series against South Africa, which ended in a two-leg draw. Veteran Dinesh Karthik jumped 108 places to 87th in the batting standings, but it was even more interesting to see young starter Ishan Kishan break into the top 10.
Kishan finished the series with two half-centuries and was the leading run scorer with 206 runs on an average of 41, with the form moving the left-hander up one spot to sixth in the latest batsmen’s standings.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam still leads the T20 batting rankings, but Kishan is the only player from India who is ranked in the top 10. Yuzvendra Chahal made a huge jump in the T20 rankings for bowlers, with the India spinner jumping three places to 23rd after his six wickets during the South Africa series.
Hazlewood has maintained his position as the best T20 bowler, with Afghan spinner Rashid Khan (third) and Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga (retaining sixth) in the top 10.