Kusal Perera advances 58 places in ICC rankings after monumental effort

·       Cummins becomes first Australia bowler since McGrath to reach top spot in Test rankings

 

·       Du Plessis in top 10 for the first time, Vishwa Fernando, Rajitha others to move up

 

Sri Lanka batsman Kusal Perera has advanced an astonishing 58 places in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings after a memorable performance helped his team score a thrilling one-wicket victory over South Africa in Durban.

 

Perera’s gain is one of many from the first of two Tests between the two teams, even as Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins has overtaken Kagiso Rabada to take the top spot among bowlers without taking the field as the South Africa fast bowler finished with only three wickets in the match. Cummins is the first from his country since Glenn McGrath in February 2006 to top the Test bowlers’ list.

 

The left-handed Perera has reached a career-best 40th position after 15 Tests, scoring 51 and an unbeaten 153 that guided his team to an improbable win, partnering in the highest ever unbroken 10thwicket stand in a winning cause in first-class cricket. He added 78 runs for the last wicket with Vishwa Fernando (six not out) to beat an 83-year record set by the Australians against Madras in February 1936.

 

Left-arm fast bowler Vishwa Fernando has moved up 26 places to a career-best 49th place after finishing with eight wickets in the match while Kasun Rajitha (up 10 places to 59th) and Lasith Embuldeniya (at 68thplace after his debut match) are the notable gainers in the list for bowlers.

 

For South Africa, captain Faf du Plessis is among the top 10 batsmen for the first time in his career after scores of 35 and 90 helped him gain seven slots to reach join-10th position along with his counterpart Dimuth Karunaratne.

 

Quinton de Kock is also in that list, gaining four slots to reach eighth position and closing in on his career-best sixth position, which he had occupied two years ago. Fast bowler Duanne Olivier has continued his upward trend to reach a career-best 22nd position after advancing three slots.

 

MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings (as of 17 February, after the Durban Test)

 

Batsmen (top 10)

 

Rank    (+/-)      Player              Team      Pts      Avge    Highest Rating

   1        ( – )       Virat Kohli         India     922      53.76    937 v Eng at Southampton 2018

   2        ( – )       K. Williamson    NZ        897      51.44    915 v SL at Wellington 2018

   3        ( – )       C. Pujara          India     881      51.18    888 v SL at Nagpur 2017

   4        ( – )       Steve Smith      Aus      857      61.37    947 v SA at Durban 2018

   5=     ( – )       Joe Root           Eng      763      49.51    917 v Aus at Trent Bridge 2015

            ( – )       Henry Nicholls   NZ        763*!   43.54    763 v SL at Christchurch 2018

   7        ( – )       David Warner    Aus      756      48.20    880 v NZ at Perth 2015

   8=     (+4)      Q. de Kock        SA        710      39.16    802 v NZ at Hamilton 2017

            ( – )       A. Markram       SA        710*    44.13    759 v Aus at Johannesburg 2018

  10=     (+1)      D. Karunaratne SL        688      36.37    754 v SA at Colombo (SSC) 2018

            (+7)      Faf du Plessis   SA        688      42.56    734 v India at Centurion 2018 

 

Other selected rankings

 

Rank    (+/-)      Player              Team       Pts     Avge    Highest Rating

27        (+1)      D. Chandimal    SL        609      41.86    755 v Win at St Lucia 2018

40        (+58)    Kusal Perera     SL        556*!   35.60    556 v SA at Durban 2019

57        (+6)      D. de Silva        SL        501      32.80    612 v Zim at Harare 2016

100       (NEW)  O. Fernando     SL        326*!   28.00    326 v SA at Durban 2019

 

Bowlers (top 10)

 

Rank    (+/-)      Player              Team      Pts        Avge   Highest Rating

   1        (+1)      P. Cummins      Aus      878*!   22.02   878 v SL at Canberra 2019

   2        (+1)      J. Anderson      Eng      862      26.93   903 v India at Lord’s 2018

   3        (-2)       K. Rabada         SA        849      21.88   902 v Aus at Port Elizabeth 2018

   4        ( – )       V. Philander      SA        821      21.64   912 v India at Johannesburg 2013

   5        ( – )       R. Jadeja          India     794      23.68   899 v Aus at Ranchi 2017

   6        ( – )       Trent Boult        NZ        771      27.90   825 v Eng at Lord’s 2015

   7=     ( – )       Jason Holder     Win      770*    27.69   778 v Eng at Antigua 2019

            ( – )       M. Abbas          Pak      770*    18.86   838 v NZ at Abu Dhabi 2018

   9        ( – )       Tim Southee     NZ        767       29.93   799 v Win at Jamaica 2014

  10       ( – )       R. Ashwin         India     763       25.43   904 v Eng at Mumbai 2016

  

Other selected rankings

 

Rank    (+/-)      Player               Team      Pts       Avge    Highest Rating

22=     (+3)      D. Olivier          SA        666*!   18.56   666 v SL at Durban 2019

49        (+26)    V. Fernando      SL        361*!   27.00   361 v SA at Durban 2019

59=     (+10)    Kasun Rajitha   SL        259*    32.94   374 v Win at Barbados 2018

68        (NEW)  L. Embuldeniya SL        217*!   19.50   217 v SA at Durban 2019

 

  All-rounders (top five)

 

Rank    (+/-)      Player              Team      Pts      Highest Rating

   1        ( – )       Jason Holder     Win      439/*   448 v Eng at Antigua 2019

   2        ( – )       S. Al Hasan       Ban      415      489 v Aus at Mirpur 2017

   3        ( – )       R. Jadeja          India     387      438 v SL at Colombo (SSC) 2017

   4        ( – )       Ben Stokes       Eng      357      395 v Win at Lord’s 2017

   5        ( – )       V. Philander      SA        332      377 v SL at Galle 2018

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