10 Test Batsmen Who Have Been the Biggest Climbers in 2015
While nobody really knows exactly how the ICC’s rankings work, they do offer interesting insight. They’re especially interesting when used to chart a player’s career.
This post used ratings on 1 January 2015 and compared them to rankings on 15 September 2015 to see who has climbed the most places. Can you guess who has made the biggest leap?
10. Lahiru Thirimanne, 12 Places
1 of 10
From 89 to 77
How Lahiru Thirimanne has climbed so many places isn't exactly clear when looking at the stats. He's played seven Tests, scored 294 runs at an average of 24.50 and has managed just two fifties in that time.
9. Chris Rogers, 15 Places
2 of 10
From 24 to nine
Chris Rogers has retired from Tests, but he still makes the list. With 631 runs in six Tests at an average of 63.10, Rogers is one of the leading run scorers in Tests this year.
8. Dimuth Karunaratne, 17 Places
3 of 10
From 55 to 28
Dimuth Karunaratne is another player whose lofty climb makes little sense. He's played seven Tests this year and boasts with two half-centuries and a century for his efforts, all of which came against Pakistan.
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7. Leon Johnson, 20 Places
4 of 10
From 91 to 71
It must be the half-century against South Africa that did it for Leon Johnson, because he's only played two Tests this year. Other than that half-ton at Newlands, he has had a rather unremarkable Test career to date.
6. Dinesh Chandimal, 24 Places
5 of 10
From 52 to 28
Finally, a ranking that can be rationalised. Dinesh Chandimal has scored 521 runs at an average of 43.41 in seven Tests this year. He was crucial for Sri Lanka against India recently and has grown in stature so far in 2015.
5. BJ Watling, 25 Places
6 of 10
From 48 to 23
BJ Watling has played just three Tests this year so far, but he's scored 407 runs in those three Tests, with two fifties and two centuries to show for it. Such consistency will go a long way in helping you sail up the rankings.
4. Imrul Kayes, 35 Places
7 of 10
From 86 to 51
Imrul Kayes is another player who has had a fairly consistent year. He's got two half-centuries and a hundred in five Tests. One of those half-centuries came against India and, who knows, if the Bangladesh Cricket Board hadn't decided to play cricket during monsoon season this year, he might have risen up the rankings even further.
3. Shikhar Dhawan, 32 Places
8 of 10
From 62 to 30
Shikhar Dhawan has played just two Tests this year, but he's scored two centuries in those games. It seems being impeccably consistent in as few Tests as possible is the key to making your way up to the ICC batting rankings.
2. Ben Stokes, 39 Places
9 of 10
From 82 from 43
Some pundits have dubbed Ben Stokes "the next Ian Botham." It's too early in his career to judge, but with 605 runs in 10 Tests this year (four fifties and a century), he's certainly on his way to living up to that illustrious title.
1. Moeen Ali, 41 Places
10 of 10
From 87 to 46
Although Moeen Ali has not scored a century this year, he has scored four half-centuries in nine Tests. He's accumulated 463 Test runs and has shown that he can dig in when his team really needs it.
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