Cricket News: West Indies Climbs to Fourth in Team Rankings Ahead of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup

The West Indies, two-time champions, have ascended to the fourth position in the ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings. Their rise comes just in time for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, which they are co-hosting from 1-29 June.

Having won the 2012 and 2016 editions of the tournament, the West Indies now stand ahead of New Zealand and South Africa. This follows their 3-0 victory over South Africa, which resulted in the latter dropping to seventh position in the rankings led by India.

India, the winners of the inaugural edition in 2007, currently hold 264 rating points. The 2021 champions, Australia, are in second place with 257 points, while the defending champions, England, are third with 254 points. The West Indies are close behind with 252 points. New Zealand, Pakistan, and South Africa have 250, 244, and 244 points respectively, with Pakistan slightly ahead on decimal points.

The West Indies players have also seen the fruits of their excellent performances in the home series shortly before their tournament opener against Papua New Guinea in Guyana on 2 June.

Brandon King, the opening batter, has risen five places to eighth position after leading the series aggregate with 159 runs. Johnson Charles, who scored a rapid 69 off 26 balls in the third T20I, has climbed 17 places to 20^th.

Kyle Mayers has also moved up, gaining 12 places to reach 31^st position with an aggregate of 102 runs. Meanwhile, left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie has leapt an impressive 84 places to 27^th after claiming eight wickets in the series.

In the latest weekly update, which also takes into account performances in the last two matches of the Bangladesh-USA series and the ongoing series between England and Pakistan, England captain Jos Buttler has moved up to seventh position. Jonny Bairstow has risen eight places to 36^th, while Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman has advanced from 57^th to 51^st.

In the bowling rankings, Shaheen Afridi has climbed three places to 11^th, while Imad Wasim, another Pakistan player, has risen 14 places to 38^th.

For the USA, Steven Taylor has made significant progress, moving up 28 places to 109 in the batting rankings. For Bangladesh, Rishad Hussain has climbed 38 places to 52^nd in the bowling rankings.