LAHORE: In the International Cricket Council (ICC) ODI Player Rankings, it is still India first and second with Dhoni leading Yuvraj Singh in the batting table and Nuwan Kulasekara of Sri Lanka just ahead of New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori in the bowling chart. But good performances in the group stage of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy have helped several star players improve upon their rankings and move up the ladder. In the Player Rankings for ODI batsmen, South Africa captain Graeme Smith has rocketed five places to third position after scoring 206 runs while Australia’s Mike Hussey is just behind in fourth position after jumping two places to trail second-placed Yuvraj by four points. Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who is the third leading run-getter to date with 176 runs, has also improved his ranking by four places and he now sits in ninth spot with eighth-placed Indian maestro Sachin Tendulkar firmly within his sights. Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Malik, who put on 206 runs for the fourth wicket against India, have also made movements in the right direction with Yousuf climbing one place to 13th and Shoaib, who is the second lead run-getter to date with 178 runs, vaulting eight places to 15th.In the Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, South Africa’s Dale Steyn has achieved his career-best ranking to date to assume eighth position. His six wickets in the tournament have helped him rise 14 places to share the position with Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan who has dropped three places. Also on the charge is England fast bowler Stuart Broad whose 10 wickets to date have helped him jump four places to 14th spot while his team-mate James Anderson has returned to the top 20 in 19th place after his seven wickets have helped him climb 16 places.In the top 10, New Zealand pair of Kyle Mills and Shane Bond have improved their positions by two places. Mills shares second place with his captain Vettori while Bond is in fifth spot. Also achieving his career-best ranking is Sri Lanka’s magician spinner Ajantha Mendis who is now in seventh position after rising four places. The only change in the top five of the ICC Player Rankings for all-rounders is Shahid Afridi who has climbed one place to share fourth spot with Jacob Oram of New Zealand.
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