08 Jan Russell Starts 2019 as No.1
The final release of the T20 Player Index in 2018 saw West Indies allrounder Andre Russell finish the year as World No.1, just ahead of Glenn Maxwell and Sunil Narine in second and third respectively.
Russell initially took top spot playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League, and cemented his place at the top thanks to his performances for the Jamaica Tallawahs at the Caribbean Premier League.
Thanks to Jos Buttler’s 268 runs for the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash, currently the highest run-scorer in the tournament, he has moved up to number 18, which means there are now three Englishmen (along with Ben Stokes and David Willey) in the top 20 for the first time since the Index started.
D’Arcy Short has rivalled Buttler for the title of leading run-scorer at the Big Bash and sits just behind him in the run-scoring charts with 259 runs. He is the biggest climber in the top 50 having moved up 30 places to number 42.
Sam Curran may have stolen the headlines when he became the most expensive overseas player at the 2019 IPL Auction, but his brother Tom has taken an impressive 11 wickets with an economy of 6.9 and scored an equally impressive 111 runs at a strikerate of 144.2 for the Sydney Sixers. He has entered the top 100 for the first time and now sits at number 93.
All rounder Daniel Sams and 18-year-old Sandeep Lamichhane have both progressed up the standings. Sams strike rate of 170.9 is the highest of any batsman with over 100 runs has seen him move up over 200 places to number 416, while Lamichhane’s eight wickets with an economy of under seven in his four matches boosted him up to number 212 after only 14 career matches.
A resurgent Steve O’Keefe is currently the Big Bash’s leading wicket-taker Big Bash with 13, and has paired that with an impressive economy of 6.7. He has moved into the top 500 for the first time and is at number 399.
The first season of the Mzansi Super League saw the Jozi Stars crowned champions, thanks in part to the performances of the tournament’s leading run-scorer Rassie van der Dussen. His run tally showed the importance of six-hitting as he also scored more than any other player in the competition, which has seen him climb 200 places to number 234.
Van der Dussen was ably assisted by Reeza Hendricks, with the pair scoring 46 per cent of the Stars runs throughout the competition, while Quinton De Kock was in fine form for the Cape Town Blitz scoring 412 runs at 169.5, with more than 25 per cent of his balls going to the boundary. He now sits at number 53 having been at number 110 pre-tournament.
South Africa international Duanne Olivier finished the MSL as leading wicket-taker with 20, climbing 400 places up to number 486 and into the top 500 for the first time, while Kagiso Rabada bowled more dot balls than any other player. No runs were scored from 106 of his 213 deliveries.
To see the men’s Index rankings please click here.