25 Feb Race on for World No.1 spot
Melbourne Stars skipper Glenn Maxwell has narrowly retained his position as world No.1 in the T20 Player Index.
The ratings system is designed to give an accurate insight into performances in domestic and international T20 cricket, run by The Cricketer and Fica, and the latest findings see Maxwell lead Sunil Narine by a single point after the conclusion of three major T20 competitions – the Big Bash, the Bangladesh Premier League and New Zealand Super Smash.
Maxwell led his team to the BBL final and hit 15 per cent of all balls faced to the boundary, scoring 331 runs from 233 balls. He also took three wickets and boasted an economy rate of 8.06 from 108 deliveries.
Closing the gap in third is leg-spinner Rashid Khan, who took 19 wickets in the Big Bash (being ranked 2nd in terms of economy) as well as enjoying the highest batting strike-rate of any player with 50 or more runs, scoring his 93 runs off just 56 deliveries.
Colin Munro is the only significant mover in the top 10 (up two places from 8th to 6th), while Wahab Riaz appears in the top 30 for the first time.
Dan Christian re-enters the top 30 having been instrumental in the Melbourne Renegades’ BBL victory over Maxwell’s Stars. It is worth noting this is Christian’s fourth tournament success in the three-year measurement period, only surpassed by Andre Russell and Dwayne Bravo, who have five tournament victories each.
Elsewhere in the BBL, leading run scorer D’Arcy Short (637 runs at a strike-rate of 140.6) climbed from 87th to 41st, while Matthew Wade’s 592 runs (strike-rate of 146.9) saw him climb to 173rd.
The top strike rate of any player with 150-plus runs was Josh Philippe’s 158.3 (304 runs). He is one of a number of new entries into the top 500 having climbed over 900 places, currently residing at 458th in the world.
Also trending in the right direction are two former world No.3s – Chris Morris (back up to 34 having been as low as 53) and David Warner (who has re-entered the top 50 following his stint in the BPL).
Kane Richardson took the most wickets in that tournament (24) and climbed from 188th to 112th.
Mujeeb Zadran sits at 190th, having been the most economical bowler (of those bowling 10 or more overs) with an economy rate 6.04
The top allrounders in the tournament were:
- Rashid Khan (93 runs and 19 wickets)
- Marcus Stoinis (533 runs and 14 wickets)
- Dan Christian (254 runs and 15 wickets)
- Tom Curran (185 runs and 20 wickets)
In the Bangladesh Premier League, the competition’s top run scorer Rilee Rossouw made 558 runs at a strike-rate of 149.6, climbing from 165th to 132nd, while Thisara Perera’s strike-rate of 206.8 (by far the highest of anyone with 150 or more runs) saw him enter the world’s top 10 during the tournament.
Tamim Iqbal’s match-winning 141 not out from 61 balls in the final saw him back inside the world’s top 100 (now 98th).
Shakib Al Hasan topped the wickets table (with 23 scalps) and is another to continue his consistent rise into the world’s top 10 (currently 9th).
The top economy rate (of those bowling 10+ overs) went to Bangladeshi newcomer Al Islam, with a measly 5.46 conceded per over. He enters the Index at 810th and may be one to watch.
Finally, in the New Zealand Summer Smash, Devon Conway was the top runscorer (363 runs at 144.0 strike-rate) which moved him into the world’s top 500 (up to 429th from 624th) while Michael Bracewell cements his place in the top 500 (up to 416th from 498th) with the highest tournament strike-rate (266 runs at 178.5).
Medium-pacer Kyle Jamieson’s led the bowlers with 22 wickets. This performance propelled him into the Index top 500 (409th from 921st) while the only two bowlers (10+ overs) with an economy rate of less than seven were top 100 players Adam Milne (90th and Mitch Santner (72nd).
To see the men’s Index rankings please click here.