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

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

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)

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'See the ball and hit the ball': Rilee Rossouw reveals success mantra vs Chennai Super Kings | Cricket News

‘See the ball and hit the ball’: Rilee Rossouw reveals success mantra vs Chennai Super Kings | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: Key innings from Jonny Bairstow and Rilee Rossouw secured a comfortable seven-wicket victory for Punjab Kings against defending champions Chennai Super Kings in the IPL on Wednesday.Chasing a target of 163, Punjab Kings rode on Bairstow’s 46 and Rossouw’s 43 to reach the target with 13 balls to spare at Chennai’s M Chidambaram Stadium.England’s Bairstow continued his strong form from the previous match, where he scored an unbeaten 108 as Punjab chased down a record IPL target of 262 against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens.Bairstow and Rossouw, a left-handed South African batsman, stitched a 64-run stand for the second wicket to set up the successful chase.After the Punjab Kings’ win, Rossouw revealed plans he set with Bairstow against the Yellow Brigade.“Got to give credit to the bowlers, 160 on this wicket was chaseable. The way Jonny played today, hopefully, he takes this form forward and gives us the foundation to chase it down,” Rossouw said after the match.“[On plans when he was out there with Bairstow] See the ball and hit the ball, nothing really spoken about as to how many we need, just keeping it simple. [on his dismissal] Unfortunate. It was one of those things, so focussed on hitting the ball and one of those things, I missed out. It’s never over, till it’s over, we have still got the belief in the changeroom, we will focus on our game and not on the others. Hopefully things work out,” Rossouw added.Five-time winners CSK, who have won five and lost five matches in the tournament so far, are fourth in the 10-team table, led by Rajasthan Royals.Punjab Kings are now in seventh place in the points table. With 4 wins in 10 matches, Punjab Kings have 8 points to their name.

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