[January 2018] Kagiso Rabada becomes the number-one ranked bowler in the ICC Test Player Rankings

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Kagiso Rabada has become the number-one ranked bowler in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings after helping South Africa to an exciting 72 run victory over India in the first Test at Newlands on Monday.

Rabada, who was one of the stars in South Africa’s successful campaign in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in the UAE in 2014, returned figures of three for 34 and two for 41 against a star-studded India batting line-up.

For this effort, the 22-year-old has collected five points, while James Anderson, who had entered the Sydney Test as the number-one ranked bowler, dropped by the same number of points following the last Ashes Test. This 10-point swing means the South African has moved ahead of the Englishman by one point after nine points had separated the two fast bowlers leading into the two Tests.

A delighted Rabada said: “It’s special to be ranked as the No.1 Test bowler in the world. It is a surreal feeling. It’s what you dream of achieving when you start playing the game.

“Cricket is ultimately a team sport and I’m thankful for the support from my team mates. It’s a great start to the year personally and for us as a team, hopefully we can continue putting in winning performances."

Rabada is the seventh South Africa bowler to top the ICC Test Bowling Rankings after Aubrey Faulkner, Hugh Tayfield, Peter Pollock, Shaun Pollock, Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander.

Rabada’s team-mate Philander is the other bowler inside the top-20 to make an impressive gain. For his match figures of nine for 75, which also earned him the player of the match award, the 32-year-old has earned 67 points, which, in turn, has lifted him from 12th to sixth position.

Philander now trails Australia’s sixth-ranked Josh Hazlewood by eight points and has an opportunity to break into the top-five following the Centurion Test, which begins on Saturday, 13 January.

Outside the top-20, India’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Pat Cummins of Australia have achieved career-high rankings.

Kumar has vaulted eight places to 22nd following figures of four for 87 and two for 33, while Cummins has leaped eight places and is now in 28th position after match figures of eight for 119, which also earned him the player of the match award.

In the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen, Australia’s Steve Smith is unchanged on 947 points in first position, but there is some movement just behind him.

England captain Joe Root has leapfrogged India’s Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson of New Zealand’s into fourth position, while India’s Cheteshwar Pujara has slipped from third to fifth.

Root has earned 26 points from the Sydney Test in which he was dismissed once in scoring 141 runs, but Kohli has dropped 13 points after his contributions of five and 28 at Newlands. Pujara’s scores for 26 and four result in his total falling by 25 points.

South Africa’s Hashim Amla and Dean Elgar have slipped three places apiece to finish in 10th and 16th positions respectively, but AB de Villiers has risen five places to 13th with a slot in the top-10 firmly within his sights.

South Africa opener Aiden Markram, who was the player of the tournament in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in 2014, and India all-rounder Hardik Pandya are the other big movers from the Newlands Test. Markram has moved up six places to 48th, while Pandya is now ranked 49th after rocketing 24 places.

India’s Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma have also lost ground. Vijay is now 30th after dropping five places, Dhawan has slipped three places to 33rd, while Sharma has ended up 44th after falling three places.

Australia batsmen have a lot to smile about in the latest rankings, which were released on Tuesday morning.

Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh and Mitchell Marsh have all achieved career-best rankings after stroking excellent centuries in the Sydney Test.

Khawaja, who scored 171 in Australia’s 649 for seven declared, has jumped eight places to 19th after collecting 55 points, Shaun Marsh has earned 42 points for his fine 156 that has moved him from 31st to 20th spot, while his younger brother Mitchell has been rewarded for his 101 with a leap of eight places that has put him in 57th position.

There is no change in the top-five of the all-rounders’ list, which is still headed by Shakib Al Hasan, with Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin in second and third place, respectively.


The Test player rankings will now be updated at the conclusion of the South Africa v India Test series in Johannesburg.

MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings (as on 9 January, following the conclusion of Australia v England series):

Rank Team Points
India 124
South Africa 111
Australia 104 (+7)
New Zealand 100
England 99 (-6)
Sri Lanka 94
Pakistan 88
Windies 72
Bangladesh 72
Zimbabwe 01

(Developed by David Kendix)



MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings (as on 9 January, following the conclusion of Cape Town and Sydney Tests):

BATSMEN (top 20)

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Avge Highest Rating

1 ( - ) Steve Smith Aus 947! 63.75 947 v Eng at Sydney 2018

2 (+2) Joe Root Eng 881 53.28 917 v Aus at Trent Bridge 2015

3 (-1) Virat Kohli Ind 880 53.01 895 v Ban at Hyderabad 2017

4 ( - ) Kane Williamson NZ 855 50.62 893 v Aus at Perth 2015

5 (-2) C. Pujara Ind 848 52.07 888 v SL at Nagpur 2017

6 ( - ) David Warner Aus 827 48.77 880 v NZ at Perth 2015

7 (+2) Azhar Ali Pak 755 46.62 787 v Aus at Melbourne 2016

8 (+2) D. Chandimal SL 743! 43.94 743 v Ind at Delhi 2017

9 (-1) Alastair Cook Eng 742 46.35 874 v Ind at Kolkata 2012

10 (-3) Hashim Amla SA 740 49.08 907 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2013

11 ( - ) Ross Taylor NZ 739 48.04 871 v Win at Hamilton 2013

12 ( - ) Lokesh Rahul Ind 720* 44.62 761 v SL at Pallekele 2017

13 (+5) AB de Villiers SA 715 50.47 935 v Aus at Port Elizabeth 2014

14 ( - ) Faf du Plessis SA 710 46.04 718 v Ban at Bloemfontein 2017

15 ( - ) Quinton de Kock SA 698 42.86 802 v NZ at Hamilton 2017

16 (-3) Dean Elgar SA 697 41.21 740 v NZ at Dunedin 2017

17 (-1) Jonny Bairstow Eng 692 39.12 772 v SA at Old Trafford 2017

18 (-1) Kraigg Brathwaite Win 690 37.43 701 v Eng at Headingley 2017

19 (+8) Usman Khawaja Aus 685 45.80 747 v Pak at Sydney 2017

20 (+11) Shaun Marsh Aus 660! 40.87 660 v Eng at Sydney 2018



BOWLERS (top 20)

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Avge Highest Rating

1 (+1) Kagiso Rabada SA 888! 21.96 888 v Ind at Cape Town 2018

2 (-1) James Anderson Eng 887 27.40 896 v Win at Lord's 2017

3 ( - ) Ravindra Jadeja Ind 861 23.73 899 v Aus at Ranchi 2017

4 ( - ) R. Ashwin Ind 830 25.35 904 v Eng at Mumbai 2016

5 ( - ) Josh Hazlewood Aus 814 25.77 863 v Ind at Bengaluru 2017

6 (+6) Vernon Philander SA 806 21.68 912 v Ind at Johannesburg 2013

7 (-1) Rangana Herath SL 799 28.04 867 v Zim at Harare 2016

8 (-1) Neil Wagner NZ 784 27.87 785 v Win at Wellington 2017

9= ( - ) Nathan Lyon Aus 769 31.64 774 v Eng at Adelaide 2017

(-1) Mitchell Starc Aus 769 27.73 805 v Pak at Brisbane 2016

11 (-1) Morne Morkel SA 754 28.39 776 v Aus at Cape Town 2011

12 (-1) Dale Steyn SA 737 22.32 909 v Win at Centurion 2014

13 ( - ) Trent Boult NZ 725 28.56 825 v Eng at Lord's 2015

14 (+1) Yasir Shah Pak 704 29.44 878 v Eng at Lord's 2016

15 (-1) Stuart Broad Eng 683 29.33 880 v SA at Johannesburg 2016

16 (+1) Tim Southee NZ 682 31.45 799 v Win at Jamaica 2014

17 (-1) Keshav Maharaj SA 671* 25.60 695 v Zim at Port Elizabeth 2017

18 ( - ) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 668 32.35 705 v Aus at Mirpur 2017

19 ( - ) M. Shami Ind 649*! 30.29 649 v SA at Cape Town 2018

20 ( - ) Kemar Roach Win 612 29.42 774 v SA at Centurion 2014



ALL-ROUNDERS (top five)

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Highest Rating

1 ( - ) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 438 489 v Aus at Mirpur 2017

2 ( - ) Ravindra Jadeja Ind 406 438 v SL at Colombo (SSC) 2017

3 ( - ) R. Ashwin Ind 385 493 v Eng at Mohali 2016

4 ( - ) Ben Stokes Eng 358 /* 396 v Win at Lord's 2017

5 ( - ) Vernon Philander SA 331 376 v Aus at Cape Town 2014
 
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I was a little disappointed with his bowling in England with both his pace and length off a little but especially in the 1st innings here, he was brutal.
 
I think we're a bit too obsessed with pace. Bowling faster doesn't make one world class.
He's probably South Africa's third best bowler (2nd on current form) ATM.

If a quick bowler breaks through bowling at 145+, we're too quick to jump to conclusions. Whereas we put other bowlers on reservations.
 
Number 1 bowler already.

WOW, he's still a kid. Incredible.
 
I think we're a bit too obsessed with pace. Bowling faster doesn't make one world class.
He's probably South Africa's third best bowler (2nd on current form) ATM.

If a quick bowler breaks through bowling at 145+, we're too quick to jump to conclusions. Whereas we put other bowlers on reservations.

He was better than Philander in Australia
 
Only bowler in the world that can reverse the ball at 90+ from both sides of the wicket with great accuracy. We haven't seen that since Wasim.
 
Windies have same genes. They just don't produce such good bowlers anymore. Pitches in SA just allows them to become an effective fast bowler. Windies pitches have become like subcontinent pitches these days. Sometimes more spin friendly than subcontinent pitches. There used to be days when Sabina Park would help fast bowlers a lot. Both blacks and whites turn into fine fast bowlers in SA. May be Indians should consider sending their fast bowlers to play in SA county cricket if they allow.
 
Best bowler in the world.Better than hazlewood and others. Hopefully he stays injury free and achieve greater heights.
 
Ironic, because he is not the best South African bowler even.

Rabada is an excellent young quick who bowls 140-145K in Tests but hasn’t got his accuracy nailed down and hasn’t mastered swing or seam.

But batsmen take chances against him if they find it hard to score from Morne Morkel’s length and Vern Philander’s Line.

Rabada is an excellent quick, but not in the same class yet as Hazlewood, Cummins, Boult or Amir.
 
Standard Bank Proteas fast bowler, Kagiso Rabada, hopes to maintain his position at the top of the ICC Test bowling rankings with consistent performances throughout the season. Rabada became only the seventh South African bowler to top the latest rankings released on Tuesday, following his contribution in the 72-run win against India in the first Sunfoil Test match at PPC Newlands.

The 22-year-old has made a meteoric rise since his debut against India in 2015, and recently became the youngest bowler to take 100 wickets for South Africa. He hopes to “maintain performances” in the green and gold, but most importantly, continue to improve on his role within the attack.

“ It feels great to be at the top of the rankings,” he said on Wednesday. “ It is what I have always wanted to do, hopefully I can keep doing what I’m doing and keep trying to win games for the team. I want to keep getting better and better.

“ There is always something new that you can work on,” he said of his skill. “ That is how I have felt in my career so far, there is always a problem. Even those skills that I have, there is always polishing that you must do, I’m not 100% accomplished in my skills, I have to do more and more. I’m striving for perfection, you are never going to reach perfection but I can at least try getting there and there about.”

Rabada feels the key to his success has been the ability to adapt to the conditions, along with being part of a skilled and diverse attack which he has learnt from. He is under no illusion of his role in the side as a strike bowler, but will always put the team first ahead of his personal ambitions.

“ I bowl where the team needs me to bowl,” he said. “ I would ideally like to open the bowling but it is tough at the moment because there are two good bowlers opening the bowling. I like to do what the team requires me to do, and set my own aspirations aside. I have been happy with the role I have been given, which is to try and get wickets and defend at the same time.

“ It feels great,” he said of bowling with Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander. “ Unfortunately Dale is out of the attack. It would have been an extra bonus bowling with someone of his calibre. I’m glad that I have bowled with him and hopefully I will bowl with him in the future. Our bowling attack is very skilled as you will have seen in the past and in the last game that we played. It’s great to be playing alongside these veterans.”
 
Amazing achievement. A potential ATG.

Has a smooth action and also bowls at good pace.
 
Will Rabada be able to maintain his position?
 
Kagiso Rabada named South African Cricketer of the Year by CSA

KAGISO RABADA and Dane van Niekerk were recognised in the company of the country’s cricketing elite when they were both named South African Cricketer of the Year in their respective categories at a glittering Cricket South Africa (CSA) awards function in Sandton on Saturday evening.

Rabada and Van Niekerk had both been previously named South African Men’s Cricketer of the Year and South African Women’s Cricketer of the Year respectively in 2016.

It was a six-star evening for Rabada who won no fewer than six awards and he has now done it both in 2016 and 2018. No other cricketer has ever won more than five awards.

The other nine men’s player players to have received CSA’s most prestigious men’s award are Jacques Kallis (2004 and 2011), Makhaya Ntini (2005 and 2006), Hashim Amla (2010 and 2013) and AB de Villiers (2014 and 2015) who have all won the award twice with the other previous winners being Shaun Pollock (2007), Dale Steyn (2008), Graeme Smith (2009), Vernon Philander (2012) and Quinton de Kock (2017).

In addition to the main award, Rabada was named Standard Bank Test Cricketer of the Year and Standard Bank ODI Cricketer of the Year, was honoured by his peers by being named SA Players’ Player of the Year and by the fans on being named SA Fans Player of the Year. He also won the award for the RAM Delivery of the Year when he dismissed David Warner in the third Sunfoil Test match between the Standard Bank Proteas and Australia at PPC Newlands in March this year.

It has been a remarkable year for Rabada who rose to the No. 1 ranking in the world in Test match cricket, cracking the 900-point barrier and is currently the leading wicket-taker in the 2018 calendar year with 38 dismissals at an average of 19.65. He is also ranked No. 7 in ODI cricket and was named in the ICC Test XI for the 2017 calendar year.

The only awards he did not win for which he was eligible were the Standard Bank T20 International Player of the Year award that went to AB de Villiers and the KFC Colonel’s Always Original Award that went to David Miller for his world record T20 International century against Bangladesh.

The International Newcomer of the Year award went to Aiden Markram who scored exactly 1 000 runs in his debut Test season at an average of 55.55 and also stood in as ODI captain at the tender age of 23.

Van Niekerk also had a stellar year that saw her ranked as the No. 2 all-rounder in women’s international cricket and the No. 9 ranked bowler. She achieved an historic milestone at the ICC Women’s World Cup when she returned the stunning figures of 4/0 against the West Indies and led the Momentum Proteas to their best ever performance at this tournament when they lost by the narrowest of margins in the semi-finals to eventual champions England.

The other top awards in the women’s category went to Laura Wolvaardt who did the double of SA Women’s Players Player of the Year and Momentum Women’s ODI Player of the Year while Chloe Tryon was named Momentum Women’s T20 International Player of the Year.

“Simply outstanding! What a year both Kagiso and Dane have had,” commented CSA Acting Chief Executive, Thabang Moroe. “They have both shown the maturity of seasoned campaigners with performances that have really counted when needed most, often blowing away the opposition in the process.

“It is encouraging that for the second time in a row our premier awards have gone to our young stars who are shining with distinction alongside our world-class senior players (Rabada is 23 and Van Niekerk 25).

“Both our Standard Bank Proteas and Momentum Women’s Proteas continue to challenge to be among the best in the world and I find it particularly encouraging that all our national teams have a truly non-racial make-up. I must particularly highlight the Proteas first ever home Test Series win over Australia and the way our women gripped the imagination of the country as they came so close to their first ever ICC Final.

“Our domestic cricket remains blessed with great talents and congratulations to all the winners in those categories as well.

“I warmly congratulate all our winners, both at international and domestic level, and I also wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge our umpires, grounds staff and scorers, too.”

The Multiply Titans were once again the biggest winners in the Professional Awards: Domestic category. Mark Boucher retained the title of Pitchvision Coach of the Year, while Tabraiz Shamsi did the limited overs double of RAM SLAM T20 Challenge Player of the Year and Momentum One-day Cup Cricketer of the Year. There were two awards for the Warriors with Simon Harmer being named Sunfoil Series Cricketer of the Year and Jon-Jon Smuts the SACA Most Valuable Player award. There were also two awards for the World Sports Betting Cape Cobras with Pieter Malan being named Domestic Players Player of the season and Kyle Verreynne Domestic Newcomer of the Year.

Shaun George was named CSA Umpire of the Year for the second year in a row and the CSA Umpires Umpire of the Year went to Adrian Holdstock. This was in addition to Marais Erasmus who received the David Shepherd Trophy as the ICC Umpire of the Year, also for the second year in a row.

The Africa Cup T20 Player of the tournament went to Sarel Erwee of KZN Inland while PPC Newlands-based Evan Flint retained he title of groundsman of the year.

A special tribute was paid to AB de Villiers who has announced his retirement from international cricket after more than a decade of service to the Standard Bank Proteas. “It was wonderful that AB could finish his international career with that historic home series win over Australia,” commented Mr. Moroe.


AWARD WINNERS

PROFESSIONAL AWARDS: NATIONAL

SA Men’s Cricketer of the Year: Kagiso Rabada

SA Women’s Cricketer of the Year: Dane van Niekerk

Standard Bank Test Cricketer of the Year: Kagiso Rabada

Standard Bank ODI Cricketer of the Year: Kagiso Rabada

Standard Bank T20 International Cricketer of the Year: AB de Villiers

SA Players’ Player of the Year: Kagiso Rabada

SA Fans’ Player of the Year: Kagiso Rabada

KFC Colonel’s Always Original Award: David Miller (fastest T20 International century v Bangladesh)

RAM Delivery of the Year: Kagiso Rabada (to Warner, 3rd Test v Australia, PPC Newlands)

International Newcomer of the Year: Aiden Markram

SA Women’s Players’ Player of the Year: Laura Wolvaardt

Momentum Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year: Laura Wolvaardt

Momentum Women’s T20 Cricketer of the Year Chloe Tryon





PROFESSIONAL AWARDS: DOMESTIC



Sunfoil Series Cricketer of the Season: Simon Harmer (Warriors)

Momentum One-Day Cup Cricketer of the Season: Tabraiz Shamsi (Multiply Titans)

RAM SLAM T20 Challenge Player of the Season: Tabraiz Shamsi (Multiply Titans)

Pitchvision Coach of the Year: Mark Boucher (Multiply Titans)

Domestic Players’ Player of the Season: Pieter Malan (WSB Cape Cobras)

Domestic Newcomer of the Year: Kyle Verreynne (WSB Cape Cobras)

Africa T20 Cup Player of the Tournament: Sarel Erwee (KZN Inland)

SACA Most Valuable Player Award: Jon-Jon Smuts (Warriors)



PROFESSIONAL AWARDS: OPERATIONS



CSA Umpires’ Umpire of the Year: Adrian Holdstock

CSA Umpire of the Year: Shaun George

Affiliate of the Year: Northerns Cricket Union

Kemach JCB Groundsman of the Year: Evan Flint (PPC Newlands)
 
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CRICKET SOUTH AFRICA (CSA) has congratulated Kagiso Rabada on adding the Gauteng Sportsman of the Year title to the multiple CSA awards he received earlier this year.

The Gauteng Sports Awards function was held on Sunday.

“Congratulations to KG on being named Gauteng Sportsman of the Year,” commented CSA Chief Executive Thabang Moroe. “It represents a wonderful double for him after he was previously named South African Cricketer of the Year for the second time and almost swept the boards at our own awards function.

“Prior to that the ICC honoured him in January when they named him in their select Test Team of the Year for 2017 and for a period was also the No. 1 ranked Test match bowler, the youngest player ever to achieve this honour.

“Above all, he comes across as a man of great humility who has his feet firmly on the ground and will continue to be a wonderful role model for all our aspiring young cricketers,” concluded Mr. Moroe.
 
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South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada said that he is not really bothered about being overshadowed by Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer, saying that he is in a comfortable space as he knows he’s been playing well.

Despite having picked up 19 wickets in four Tests this year, Rabada has hardly been the talk of the town in 2019. Since the start of this year, Archer has qualified to play for England, made his much-anticipated debut, won England a World Cup, and produced fast, breathtaking spells against Australia in a high-intensity Ashes series.

Bumrah, likewise, has gone from strength to strength, and has arguably become the world’s top bowler across formats. Having topped India’s wicket charts at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019, Bumrah ripped through West Indies with 13 wickets in two matches as India swept the series 2-0.

“I want to be the best in the world, everybody does. You are naturally going to compete in that fashion, I'm not too worried, I'm feeling nice and easy."

Ahead of his team’s tour of India, which kicks off with the first T20I next Sunday, 15 September, Rabada welcomed the competition, which he said forces him to lift his own game. "I admire those bowlers, they are good bowlers," Rabada told iol.co.za. "However, the media hypes certain players, and that's okay.

“I know I have been playing very well. Archer is such a natural talent; Bumrah is doing wonders, and that can force you to lift your game. You are not always at the top, that's one thing I can tell you."

Rabada was certainly nowhere near the top at the World Cup, where South Africa endured a disappointing campaign to finish seventh among ten teams. Rabada’s unflattering performances mirrored that of his team, as he took 11 wickets in nine matches, averaging 36.09 per scalp.

Kagiso Rabada endured a tough time at the World CupKagiso Rabada endured a tough time at the World Cup
"It's never easy maintaining a career. I've learned that there are a lot of ups and downs,” he said. “I want to be the best in the world, everybody does. You are naturally going to compete in that fashion, I'm not too worried, I'm feeling nice and easy.

"I'm disappointed, not angry [about the World Cup]. What do I do with anger? When a setback comes, you want to be determined, you don't want to change a lot of things. It's about seeing where you went wrong and then putting in extra work."

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/1339167
 
What happened to Kagiso Rabada?

What happened to Kagiso Rabada? He is only 26. Is he going through a tough phase and do you think he can become the best in the world again?
 
Kagiso Rabada is among the best in the world.

What happened to him? Nothing.

At age of 26, he has 210 test wickets.

Pat Cummins has 160
Jasprit Bumrah has 110
Kyle Jamieson has 48
Jofra Archer has 31

He is also better LOI bowler than Cummins and Jamieson.

As all format bowler, I don't think I am wrong if I say, he is the second best bowler in the world currently.
 
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