BLACKCAPS captain Daniel Vettori and opening bowler Chris Martin have retained their places among the top 20 Test bowlers in world cricket.
The latest Reliance Mobile ICC Rankings show Vettori moving up one spot to 13th on the table, equal with West Indian Jerome Taylor.
Chris Martin drops one place in the list to 17th, after Pakistan’s Umar Gul leapfrogged two places to 15th.
The Test bowling list is now headed by a new number one – South Africa’s Dale Steyn takes over the top spot from long-time leader, Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralidaran.
Other BLACKCAPS feature in the top 50 Test bowlers, including Iain O’Brien (ranked 24), James Franklin (34), Jacob Oram (37), and Kyle Mills (43).
The Test batting rankings also see a change with Gautam Gambhir becoming the first India batsman in more than four years to head the list, ahead of Pakistan’s Younus Khan.
Sri Lankan top-order batsman Kumar Sangakkara – likely to face the BLACKCAPS bowling attack in next month’s Test series – rises two places to third in the batting list, after scores of 87 and 46 in Sri Lanka’s recent second test against Pakistan. Team-mate Mahela Jayawardena is also in the top 10 batting list.
The BLACKCAPS currently have five players in the top 50 batting list. Ross Taylor (27th) is the highest ranked, followed by Vettori (33), Jesse Ryder (36), Brendon McCullum (37) and Jacob Oram (44).
Vettori also keeps his place as one of the leading Test all-rounders, currently ranked third behind Jacques Kallis of South Africa and Australia’s Mitchell Johnson (provisional ranking).
Mills and Vettori both hold top rankings in the world One Day International bowling rankings, with Mills ranked second and Vettori fourth. Sri Lankan Nuwan Kulasekara heads that list, with Muralidaran fourth.
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