Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka and Australia’s Ricky Ponting are sharing number one position in the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen in one of the closest battles for top spot in many years. The two are locked on 936 ratings points but Sangakkara has the first chance to move ahead again when Sri Lanka and England take the field for the third and final Test of the series in Galle, starting on Tuesday.
Also ready to pounce from third place is South Africa’s dependable all-rounder Jacques Kallis, who is just one ratings point adrift. His push for the top begins when the Proteas take on the West Indies beginning on 26 December in Port Elizabeth.
Ponting, too, will get another chance to reclaim the number-one ranking when the first Test of the four-match series against India gets underway in Melbourne on the same day.
Sangakkara’s team-mate Mahela Jayawardena has gained three places and is back into the top 10 following his magnificent 195 in the drawn second Test at Colombo. Jayawardena moves ahead of Rahul Dravid of India, Michael Clarke of Australia and the West Indies’ Shivnarine Chanderpaul into ninth position.
LG ICC Test Rankings (as of 14 December):
Batsman:
1. Ricky Ponting Aus
K.C.Sangakkara SL
3 Jacques Kallis SA
4 Mhd Yousuf Pak
5 Mike Hussey Aus
6 Kevin Pietersen Eng
7 Matthew Hayden Aus
8 Yunus Khan Pak
9 M.Jayawardena SL
10 S.Chanderpaul WI
Bowlers
1. M.Muralidaran SL
2. Makhaya Ntini SA
3. Dale Steyn SA
4. Stuart Clark Aus
5. Anil Kumble Ind
6. Brett Lee Aus
7. M’thew Hoggard Eng
8. Shane Bond NZ
9. Shaun Pollock SA
10. Shoaib Akhtar Pak
All-rounders
1. Jacques Kallis SA
2. Andrew Flintoff Eng
3. Shaun Pollock SA
4. Daniel Vettori NZ
5. Chaminda Vaas SL
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