Powered by his marauding knocks in the World Twenty20 so far, Indian batsman Virat Kohli today became the top-ranked batsman in the ICC rankings, while India remained static at the No.1 spot in the team list. Kohli, who averages 92 after scoring 184 runs in four matches at a strike-rate of over 132, had entered the tournament 24 points behind Aaron Finch, but has now opened up a 68-point advantage over the Australian, the ICC said in a statement. In the bowlers’ table, West Indies’ Samuel Badree has displaced Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to return to the number-one position. Badree has taken six wickets in four matches to date, while Ashwin has dropped to third after managing just four wickets in as many matches.
Four of the top five sides will feature in the semifinals of the ICC World Twenty20, which will be played in Delhi and Mumbai on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. Number-one ranked India will go head to head with third- ranked West Indies in Mumbai on Thursday, while in the first semi-final in Delhi on Wednesday, second-ranked New Zealand will square-off against fifth-ranked England. India have retained their pre-tournament ranking as well as points, while the West Indies have gained two points to move to 120. This means both the former champions, who each won three of their four second round matches, are now separated by seven points. In contrast, New Zealand, who have been the only unbeaten side in the competition so far, have earned six points to rise to 122 and have consequently moved up two places to second.
Their semi-final opponent and 2010 champion, England, have also collected three points and are now seven points behind on 115 after winning three of their four matches. Meanwhile, there has been a reshuffling of the pack in the MRF Tyres ICC T20I Player Rankings as leading performers have been rewarded for their good performances. England’s Joe Root has rocketed 38 places to career-high 11th after scoring 168 runs in four matches at a strike-rate of 150. The Yorkshireman has gained 105 points in the tournament to date as he now has Zimbabwe’s eighth-ranked Hamilton Masakadza firmly within his sights. Martin Guptill is New Zealand’s highest-ranked batsman after the opener has moved up two places to third following his contribution of 125 runs in three matches at a strike-rate of over 162.
