Australian Cricketers Shine in Latest Test Rankings

Australian players have made significant gains in the latest International Cricket Council Test rankings, with spearhead Ryan Harris and new skipper Steve Smith leading the charge. Harris rocketed up to second in the bowler rankings after a man-of-the-match six-wicket haul against India at the MCG Boxing Day Test, while Smith leapfrogged opener David Warner to become Australia's best Test batsman, climbing to fifth in the rankings. Other Australian players, including Josh Hazlewood and Chris Rogers, also made significant gains.

Key Takeaways:

• Ryan Harris moved up to second in the bowler rankings after a six-wicket haul against India, behind only South Africa's Dale Steyn.
• Steve Smith became Australia's best Test batsman, moving up to fifth in the rankings after a career-high 192 in the draw at the MCG.
• David Warner dropped from sixth to eighth in the rankings after failing to pass 50 in his past four innings.
• Josh Hazlewood made a significant gain, leaping 16 spots to No.53 after two impressive Tests.
• New Australian skipper Steve Smith accumulated 1146 runs, 581 of them against India in the past month, at an average of 81.85.
• South African star A.B. de Villiers overtook Kumar Sangakkara as the world's top-ranked batsman.
• New Indian skipper Virat Kohli is on the verge of cracking the top 10 after his century at the MCG.

Statistics:

• Ryan Harris finished the year with 26 wickets at 22.4 from six Tests.
• Steve Smith accumulated 1146 runs at an average of 81.85 in 2014.
• David Warner scored 1136 runs at 63.11 in 2014.
• Josh Hazlewood made a gain of 16 spots to become No.53 in the bowler rankings.
• Dale Steyn secured the top spot in the bowler rankings with 14 wickets at an average of 11.64 in 2014.
• India's Virat Kohli is on the verge of cracking the top 10 after his century at the MCG, moving up four places to No.15.

Sources:

• International Cricket Council
• ICC Test Rankings at end of 2014 BATSMEN, BOWLERS, and Nations ratings