Finch No.1, Maxwell gonged by ICC

Australian Aaron Finch remains the world’s No.1 Twenty20 batsman after the latest release of the ICC Rankings, but Virat Kohli is closing the gap.

In another boost for Australia, Glenn Maxwell was named in the 2014 'Team Of The Tournament' after the World T20 in Bangladesh (scroll down to view the team).

Kohli, named Player Of The Tournament in the WT20, moved to second place in the batting rankings after amassing 242 runs in five non-final matches and then scoring a match-winning 72 not out against South Africa in the second semi-final and 77 in the final against Sri Lanka.

The latest rankings update, released a day after Sri Lanka beat India in the final of the tournament in Mirpur, reflects the performances in the semi-finals and final.

The No.3 batsman is now just three points behind Finch, who was Australia’s leading run-scorer in the WT20.

Fifth-ranked Kusal Perera is the only batsman from the tournament-winning Sri Lanka in the top 10.  

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has entered the top 10 for the first-time ever and is now in sixth place (up by 11). Close on his heels is team-mate JP Duminy, in seventh place (up by one). 

Meanwhile, India off-spinner Ravi Ashwin now shares the third position on the bowlers’ table with Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal.

Ashwin finished with 11 wickets in the tournament at an average of 11.27 and an economy rate of 5.35 runs per over and ended as the fourth highest wicket-taker in the tournament.

He had spells of three for 22 in the semi-final against South Africa and one for 29 in the final against Sri Lanka.

The bowlers’ list is still headed by West Indies' Samuel Badree with teammate Sunil Narine in second place.

Sri Lanka reclaimed the number-one position on the team rankings lists after winning the WT20 final against India.

The champions gained three ratings points to finish on 133, three ahead of India, to move into the top position.

Before the semi-finals began, India had gone past Sri Lanka to become the number-one ranked side. 

There was no other change inside the top ten at the end of the tournament.

Team Of The Tournament

Selection Panel Chairman and member of the Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees, David Boon, said of the selections below: “It was a very difficult task for the panel to pick a team of 11 from the exciting players who featured in this tournament.

“As the selection criteria for the Team of the Tournament are the performances of players in the conditions during the ICC World Twenty20 2014, some of the best players in world cricket had to be left out of the team. 

“Bowlers in particular performed strongly throughout this tournament, and the side we have selected includes three of the most impressive bowlers in Dale Steyn, Samuel Badree and Lasith Malinga.  The team also contains six specialist batsmen, including Stephan Myburgh from the Netherlands as an opening batsman, as well as three all-rounders, including MS Dhoni as a wicket-keeper batsman.”

Rohit Sharma (India) – 200 runs

Stephan Myburgh (Netherlands) – 224 runs

Virat Kohli (India) – 319 runs

JP Duminy (South Africa) – 187 runs

Glenn Maxwell (Australia) – 147 runs

MS Dhoni (India - captain, wicketkeeper) – 50 runs, six dismissals

Darren Sammy (West Indies) – 101 runs

Ravichandran Ashwin (India) – 11 wickets

Dale Steyn (South Africa) – nine wickets

Samuel Badree (West Indies) – 11 wickets

Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka) – five wickets

12th Player: Krishmar Santokie (West Indies) – eight wickets

* David Boon of the Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees was the chairman of the independent jury that selected the Men’s Team of the Tournament. Other members of the panel included Marais Erasmus of the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires, former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram, ex-England captain Nasser Hussain, former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop and Utpal Shuvro, one of Bangladesh’s senior-most cricket correspondents.

ICC Twenty 20 Rankings