Sports Bulletin Report
Dubai (UAE): India fast bowler Mohammad Siraj has grabbed the top position for bowlers in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings after a superb show in the home series against New Zealand which his team won 3-0 to take No.1 position in the team rankings.
The 28-year-old took five wickets in the two matches that he played in, including a haul of four for 46 in the first ODI on his home ground of Hyderabad. This followed another fruitful series against Sri Lanka, in which he had finished with nine wickets to move up to number three.
Other Indian bowlers to be No. 1 in the ODI rankings are Kapil Dev, Maninder Singh, Anil Kumble, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah.
Siraj’s new-ball partner in the New Zealand series, Mohammad Shami, too has moved up the rankings, up 11 places to 32nd position after taking four wickets in two matches. Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav and seam bowler Shardul Thakur have reaped the gains of finishing with six wickets each in the series. Yadav has moved from 21st to 19th while Thakur has progressed five places and is 35th.
Opener Shubman Gill led the charge of India’s batters as he stormed into the top 10 for the first time. His Player of the Series effort of 360 runs, that included a double-century and a century, has lifted him 20 spots to sixth position. He is now the leading India batter in the rankings, one slot above Virat Kohli.
Captain Rohit Sharma’s 186 runs in the series have helped him move up two slots to eighth position while all-rounder Hardik Pandya has progressed in all three lists. He is up six places to 75th among batters, has gained 26 slots to reach 80th position among bowlers and has moved from 32nd to17th in the list of all-rounders.
Michael Bracewell, who was the leading run-scorer for New Zealand with 188 runs, has rocketed 71 places to 85th position while Devon Conway has moved up from 50th to 37th.
In the latest weekly update which also considers performances in the three-match series between Zimbabwe and Ireland that was drawn 1-1, Ireland batter Harry Tector has advanced 12 places to 13th position after leading the series aggregate with 176 runs.
Zimbabwe star Sikandar Raza (up two places to 31st) is another batter to progress after the series while Ireland seam bowlers Joshua Little and Mark Adair have both advanced after finishing with five wickets each in the series. Little has progressed 27 places to 33rd position and Adair is up 46 places to 57th.
