Brandon King

India maintain top spot in ICC Rankings going into T20 World Cup | Cricket News

Danijones5 months ago04 mins

NEW DELHI: India, the winners of the inaugural T20 World Cup, currently hold the top spot in the men’s T20I team rankings ahead of the upcoming edition of the tournament, which will be co-hosted by the West Indies and the USA from June 1-29.India have accrued 264 rating points.The West Indies, two-time champions, have climbed to fourth position, with their players displaying excellent form ahead of the T20 showcase.Having secured victories in the 2012 and 2016 editions, the West Indies are now ahead of New Zealand and South Africa. Their recent 3-0 series win over South Africa pushed the latter down to seventh position in the rankings led by India.Australia, the 2021 champions, are second with 257 points, while defending champions England hold third place with 254 points. The West Indies trail closely behind with 252 points.New Zealand stand at 250 points, while Pakistan and South Africa each have 244 points, with Pakistan marginally ahead on decimal points.The West Indies players have benefitted from their excellent performances in a recent home series, boosting their confidence before their tournament opener against Papua New Guinea in Guyana on June 2.Opening batter Brandon King has climbed five places to eighth position after leading the series with a total of 159 runs. Johnson Charles, who was named Player of the Match in the third T20I for his explosive 69 off 26 balls, has surged 17 places to 20th.Kyle Mayers has also made significant strides, moving up 12 places to 31st position with an aggregate of 102 runs, while left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie has soared an impressive 84 places to 27th after taking eight wickets in the series.In the latest weekly update, which also includes performances from the final two matches of the Bangladesh-USA series and the ongoing series between England and Pakistan, several players have made notable gains. England captain Jos Buttler has moved up to seventh position, Jonny Bairstow has risen eight places to 36th, and Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman has advanced from 57th to 51st.In the bowling rankings, Shaheen Afridi has ascended three places to 11th, while fellow Pakistani Imad Wasim has climbed 14 places to 38th.For the USA, Steven Taylor has made significant progress, advancing 28 places to 109th in the batting rankings. Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s Rishad Hussain has moved up 38 places to 52nd in the bowling rankings.(With PTI inputs)

West Indies beat South Africa in first T20I at Sabina Park to draw first blood in three-match contest – India TV

Danijones6 months ago04 mins

Image Source : CRICKET SOUTH AFRICA Brandon King and Rassie van der Dussen with the series trophy. West Indies registered a 28-run victory over South Africa in the first of the three-match T20I series at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica on Friday (May 24). Stand-in captain Brandon King looked in sensational touch in the T20I series opener after the South African skipper for the series Rassie van der Dussen won the toss and chose to field first. King, who won the Player of the Match, took the depleted South African bowling attack to task and stamped his authority at Sabina Park, hosting its first international game in almost 24 months. King lost his opening partner Johnson Charles on the fourth delivery of the fourth over. However, it didn’t restrain him in any way as he made full use of the powerplay restrictions early on. King’s swashbuckling knock of 79 off 45 balls helped the Windies put the pressure back on the tourists. The West Indian skipper struck six fours and as many boundaries during his knock and batted at an impressive strike rate of 175.55. King’s departure on the last ball of the 11th over helped the Proteas claw their way back into the contest as they didn’t allow any other West Indian batter to break the shackles at any stage of the game. Ottneil Baartman (3/26) and allrounder Andile Phehlukwayo (3/28) exercised plenty of discipline with the ball in hand and kept West Indies limited to 175 for the loss of eight wickets. The chase didn’t quite go South Africa’s way and they were behind the eight ball from the beginning. They lost Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickleton and Matthew Breetzke in quick succession and were tottering at 35/3 inside the powerplay. Unfazed by the wickets tumbling at the other end, Reeza Hendricks kept playing his strokes and gave King plenty of headaches in the field. Hendricks smashed six fours and as many maximums on his way to 87 off 51 balls and fell on the fourth delivery of the 20th over. Left-arm orthodox bowler Gudakesh Motie was the stand-out bowler for the Men in Maroon as he bagged figures of 3/25. Pacer Matthew Forde also claimed a three-wicket haul and delighted the home crowd.