Kagiso Rababa takes a giant leap in the latest ICC Test Player Rankings

Kagiso Rabada, Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla and Ben Stokes have made impressive gains in the latest MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings, which was released today following the conclusion of the Centurion Test which South Africa won by 280 runs.

Rabada who starred for South Africa in the Centurion Test by recording figures of seven for 112 and six for 32 vaulted 32 places to 30th in the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers.

Rabada had started the series in 122nd position and has gained 92 places after earning 447 points following his 22 wickets in the series. As Rabada is still in the qualification period for bowlers, he is expected to move further up the ladder. A bowler qualifies for a full rating when he reaches 100 Test wickets, the 20-year-old Proteas fast bowler from Johannesburg has so far taken 24 wickets in six Tests.

De Kock, who scored his maiden unbeaten Test century in the final Test against England, has broken into the top 50 for the first time, occupying the 48th position after rising 27 places.

Amla has been has been rewarded for his knocks of 109 and 96 in the Centurion Test and now sits at number four with a jump of four places. Amla now trails Kane Williamson and Joe Root, both joint-second, by 29 points, while number-one ranked Steve Smith is 39 points ahead.

Stokes has achieved career-high rankings in the bowlers’ and all-rounders’ categories. He has moved up three places to 27th in the bowling table, while overtaking Vernon Philander and Ravindra Jadeja into fourth place in the all-rounders’ list.

The bowling table is led by England’s Stuart Broad, while Ravichandran Ashwin is the top-ranked all-rounder.

Other players who benefitted following the Centurion Test are Morne Morkel of South Africa, who gained two places and is now 10th in the bowling table, and England’s Moeen Ali, who has earned five places and is now in 45th spot in the batting charts.

Meanwhile, as the MRF Tyres ICC Test Championship Table is only updated at the end of a series, India has been confirmed as the number-one ranked side. India was guaranteed this position after South Africa had trailed 0-2 after three Tests in the four-Test series. India had previously held the number-one Test position from December 2009 to August 2011.

Australia and South Africa are on equal points at 109 but when the points are calculated beyond the decimal point, then Australia is ranked second as it has 109.4 points as compared to South Africa’s 108.9.

With only 11 points separating number-one ranked India from sixth-ranked New Zealand, there is potential for further changes before the 1 April annual cut-off date.

In the final series before focus shifts to the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016, Australia will travel to New Zealand next month for two Tests and if it wins the series, then it will finish as the top-ranked Test side. If Steve Smith’s side achieves this, then it will not only reclaim the prestigious MRF Tyres ICC Test Championship Mace but will also win a cash award of $1million.