Mike Hesson has welcomed the BLACKCAPS’ ascent to the summit of the International Cricket Council’s Twenty20 rankings.
The ICC’s latest rankings, released last night following the annual update, has the BLACKCAPS shading India at the top of the T20 ladder; in second place on the One Day International rankings, and fifth in Tests.
It’s the first time the BLACKCAPS have been ranked No.1 in the world in any of the three formats.
“We’re delighted with the recognition,” said Hesson. “It’s a fair reflection, I think, of the way our guys have put the bigger picture ahead of themselves, and the good of the team always comes first.
“So many different players have stood up at so many different times – it speaks volumes of the depth we’re creating, and also the standard of our domestic competitions.”
The BLACKCAPS coach said, as pleased as his players would be with the latest rankings, the culture of improvement within all the squads would remain.
“We enjoy the milestones, don’t worry about that,” he said. “But they come along as a result of consistently good performances – and that’s something we need to continue.”
Near the end of 2012, the BLACKCAPS were ranked 8th in Tests, 9th in ODIs and 8th in T20s.
Under the terms of the ICC’s annual ranking adjustment, results from 2012-13 have been dropped, while results from 2014-15 have been reduced to a weighting of 50 per cent.
ICC T20I Rankings
ICC ODI Rankings
ICC Test Rankings
