ICC Rankings: Kane Williamson rises to No.2 in Test Rankings, Josh Hazlewood displaces Mohammed Siraj to become World No.1 ODI bowler – Check out

While Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne holds on to the top spot for Test batters, his lead at the head of proceedings is narrowed following the completion of New Zealand’s home series against Sri Lanka.

Kane Williamson moves up at the ICC Rankings ladder

The Black Caps registered a comfortable innings and 58-run triumph in the 2nd Test in Wellington to wrap up a 2-0 series sweep. Former captain and veteran batter Kane Williamson collected the Player of the Series award.

A special knock from a special player 😍

Take a bow, Kane Williamson 🙌

Watch #NZvSL live on https://t.co/CPDKNxoJ9v (in select regions) 📺#WTC23 | 📝: https://t.co/6AWsAQ7CTM pic.twitter.com/WeKzoJqT8X

— ICC (@ICC) March 18, 2023

Williamson made an unbeaten 121* to guide his side to a thrilling victory in the opening Test in Christchurch and then topped that effort with a brilliant 215 in the first innings of the 2nd Test to put his side in a commanding position.

It was Williamson’s 6th double century of his career and leaves former India captain Virat Kohli (seven) in his sights as the only current day player with more Test scores in excess of 200.

Williamson has now been rewarded on the latest rankings update as he rises to second on the list for Test batters.

Williamson improved a total of 51 rating points on the weekly update to have a total of 883 points and now sits just 32 points behind Labuschagne. The 32-year-old looks to re-claim the No.1 ranking mantle that he held after New Zealand’s triumph in the 2021 ICC World Test Championship final vs India.

It means that Steve Smith (third), Joe Root (fourth), Babar Azam (fifth) and Travis Head (sixth) all drop one place, while Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne (10th) takes the spot of India captain Rohit Sharma inside the top 10 after he scored three half-centuries in the series against New Zealand.

ODI Updates in ICC Rankings

There have been plenty of changes in the latest ODI Player Rankings, with a lot of series either recently completed or ongoing ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup that is scheduled to be held later this year in India.

India pacer Mohammed Siraj was taken down by the duo of Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head during the second match of India’s ODI series with Australia and as a result has lost his place at the top of the rankings for ODI bowlers.

Australia seamer Josh Hazlewood – who is absent from the ongoing series in India – re-claims the top position ahead of New Zealand left arm pacer Trent Boult, with Siraj dropping into a tie for third with an in-form Mitchell Starc.

West Indies pacer Alzarri Joseph jumps to a career-high of 11th place on the ODI bowling rankings following a strong series against South Africa, while Akeal Hosein moves up four spots to 20th.

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam maintains a healthy lead at the top of the ODI batting rankings. After the end of South vs West Indies ODI series, Heinrich Klaasen rises 13 spots to 30th after he hit a brilliant century in the Proteas’ impressive victory over the West Indies in the third and final ODI of the series in Potchefstroom, while Temba Bavuma gains 17 places to 33rd following his knock in the second game in East London.