Head Closes in on Top 10

Australia batter Travis Head has inched back towards the top 10 of the ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings after his Player of the Match effort in MacKay helped his team win the last match of their three-ODI series that South Africa won 2-1.

The left-hander’s knock of 142 off 103 balls helped him gain one spot and reach joint-11th position, just three adrift of the career-best eighth ranking that he attained in September last year. Head added 250 runs for the first wicket with captain Mitchell Marsh, whose knock of 100 off 106 balls helped him gain four places and reach 44th position.

Cameron Green, who made the most of his promotion to number three in the same match by smashing a blistering 118 not out in just 55 balls, has gained a whopping 40 places to reach 78th in the latest men’s weekly player rankings update that is carried out on Wednesdays.

Josh Inglis, who scored 87 in the second match, has jumped 23 slots to occupy 64th position while South Africa batter Tony de Zorzi’s knocks of 33 and 38 in the two matches this past week have helped him move up from 71st to 67th.

The ICC Men’s ODI Bowling Rankings see South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj, who had grabbed the top position last week, drop 16 ratings points to share the No. 1 ranking with Sri Lanka spinner Maheesh Theekshana in the updated tables.

Maharaj’s five-wicket haul in the opening match in Cairns had helped him reach the top position last week and he also finished as the Player of the Series but could only manage one wicket in the remaining two matches to give up the sole lead.

South Africa fast bowler Lungi Ngidi, who was Player of the Match in the second match with a haul of five for 42, has moved up six spots to 28th position while Australia bowlers Sean Abbott (up nine places to 48th) and Natha Ellis (up 21 places to 65th) have also progressed.