AB de Villers leapfrogs the Aussie captain by the smallest of margins to regain top spot
Smith dethroned as No.1 Test batsman
South Africa's AB de Villiers has dethroned Australia captain Steve Smith as the world's No.1 ranked Test batsman following the latest release of the official International Cricket Council player ratings on Tuesday.
Smith's output of 48 and 1 in the first Commonwealth Bank Test against New Zealand at the Gabba saw him fall 20 rating points to 890, while de Villiers’ scores of 63 and 16 against India in Mohali earned him the one point needed to pip the Australian skipper.
While Smith fell a spot, two of the batting stars from Brisbane surged up the rankings, with Black Caps No.3 Kane Williamson climbing two spots to crack the top five and dynamite opener David Warner also moving up two places to seventh.
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Joe Burns' first-innings 71 and maiden Test century of 129 lifted him a whopping 56 places to 47th in the world, with teammate Adam Voges creeping up five positions to sit in 44th.
The top seven is log jammed, with only 44 points separating the top seven batsman.
On the bowling side, Mitchell Starc has earned a career-high ranking of 13, a jump of seven places, following match figures of 6-126 at the Gabba.
Nathan Lyon remains in 17th spot, allrounder Mitchell Marsh moved up 14 places to 58th, while Mitchell Johnson (8th) and Josh Hazlewood (18th) both slipped two places.
South Africa own both the best Test batsman and bowler, with Dale Steyn retaining his position as the premier bowler in the five-day game.
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ICC Test batting rankings
Position | Rating | Name | Country |
1 | 891 | AB de Villiers | South Africa |
2 | 890 | Steve Smith | Australia |
3 | 886 | Joe Root | England |
4 | 870 | Hashim Amla | South Africa |
5 | 863 | Kane Williamson | New Zealand |
6 | 851 | Angelo Mathews | Sri Lanka |
7 | 847 | David Warner | Australia |
8 | 826 | Younus Khan | Pakistan |
9 | 803 | Alastair Cook | England |
10 | 764 | Misbah-ul-Haq | Pakistan |
ICC Test bowling rankings
Position | Rating | Name | Country |
1 | 902 | Dale Steyn | South Africa |
2 | 846 | James Anderson | England |
2 | 846 | Yasir Shah | Pakistan |
4 | 840 | Stuart Broad | England |
5 | 797 | Ravi Ashwin | India |
6 | 784 | Trent Boult | New Zealand |
7 | 769 | Vernon Philander | South Africa |
8 | 767 | Mitchell Johnson | Australia |
9 | 751 | Rangana Herath | Sri Lanka |
10 | 698 | Morne Morkel | South Africa |