ICC Player Rankings
The International Cricket Council Player Rankings is a widely followed system of rankings for international cricketers based on their recent performances. The current sponsor is MRF Tyres who signed a 4-year deal with the ICC that will last until 2020.
The ratings were developed at the suggestion of Ted Dexter in 1987. The intention was to produce a better indication of players' current standing in the sport than is provided by comparing their averages. Career averages are based on a player's entire career and do not make any allowance for match conditions or the strength of the opposition, whereas the ratings are weighted towards recent form and account for match conditions and the quality of the opponent using statistical algorithms.
Initially the rankings were for Test cricket only, but separate One Day International rankings were introduced in 1998. Both sets of rankings have now been calculated back to the start of those forms of the game. The rankings include the top 10 Test, ODI and T20I batsmen, bowlers and all-rounders based on the rating of each player.
Rankings calculations
The player rankings are a weighted average of all a player's performances, with recent matches weighted most heavily. Each match performance is given a rating out of 1000, based on a set of pre-determined criteria, and these figures averaged. This means that the maximum possible overall rating is 1000, and a player gaining a rating of 900 is seen as an exceptional achievement. Separate lists are maintained for batting and bowling and an all-rounder rating is also published, which is obtained by multiplying a player's batting and bowling rating together and dividing by 1000.For batting, the performance rating is based on a combination of runs scored, the rating of the opposition bowlers, match result and comparison to the overall scores in the match.
A bowler gains points based on wickets taken, runs conceded and match result, with more points gained for dismissing highly rated batsmen.
A damping-factor is applied to a player's rating at the start of their career, so they do not get a full rating for their performances until they have played about 20 Tests.
Current rankings
Test rankings
Top 10 Test batsmen
Top 10 Test bowlers
ICC Top 10 Test all-rounders
ODI rankings
Top 10 ODI batsmen
Top 10 ODI bowlers
Top 10 ODI all-rounders
T20I rankings
Top 10 T20I batsmen
Top 10 T20I bowlers
Top 10 T20I all-rounders
Historical rankings
Historical Test cricket rankings
Year end top ranked players in Test cricket
Batsmen and Bowlers with a peak rating of 900 points or more
;Batsmen with a peak rating of 900 points or moreRank | Name | Played for | Highest rating | Year |
1 | Sir Donald Bradman | 961 | 1948 | |
2 | Steve Smith | 947 | 2017 | |
3 | Sir Len Hutton | 945 | 1954 | |
4 | Sir Jack Hobbs | 942 | 1912 | |
4 | Ricky Ponting | 942 | 2006 | |
6 | Peter May | 941 | 1956 | |
7 | Sir Vivian Richards | 938 | 1981 | |
7 | Kumar Sangakkara | 938 | 2007 | |
7 | Sir Garry Sobers | 938 | 1967 | |
7 | Sir Clyde Walcott | 938 | 1955 | |
11 | Virat Kohli | 937 | 2018 | |
12 | Matthew Hayden | 935 | 2002 | |
12 | Jacques Kallis | 935 | 2007 | |
12 | AB de Villiers | 935 | 2014 | |
15 | Mohammad Yousuf | 933 | 2006 | |
16 | Sir Everton Weekes | 927 | 1956 | |
16 | Graeme Pollock | 927 | 1970 | |
18 | Dudley Nourse | 922 | 1951 | |
18 | Doug Walters | 922 | 1970 | |
20 | Neil Harvey | 921 | 1953 | |
20 | Mike Hussey | 921 | 2008 | |
22 | Joe Root | 917 | 2015 | |
22 | Denis Compton | 917 | 1948 | |
24 | Sunil Gavaskar | 916 | 1979 | |
25 | George Headley | 915 | 1948 | |
25 | Kane Williamson | 915 | 2018 | |
27 | Ken Barrington | 914 | 1965 | |
28 | Brian Lara | 911 | 2004 | |
29 | Kevin Pietersen | 909 | 2007 | |
30 | Hashim Amla | 907 | 2013 | |
31 | Shivnarine Chanderpaul | 901 | 2008 | |
32 | Michael Clarke | 900 | 2012 |
;Bowlers with a peak rating of 900 points or more
Rank | Name | Played for | Highest rating | Year |
1 | Sydney Barnes | 932 | 1914 | |
2 | George Lohmann | 931 | 1896 | |
3 | Imran Khan | 922 | 1983 | |
4 | Muttiah Muralitharan | 920 | 2007 | |
5 | Glenn McGrath | 914 | 2001 | |
5 | Pat Cummins | 914 | 2019 | |
7 | Curtly Ambrose | 912 | 1994 | |
7 | Tony Lock | 912 | 1958 | |
7 | Vernon Philander | 912 | 2013 | |
10 | Sir Ian Botham | 911 | 1980 | |
11 | Malcolm Marshall | 910 | 1988 | |
12 | Waqar Younis | 909 | 1993 | |
12 | Sir Richard Hadlee | 909 | 1985 | |
12 | Shaun Pollock | 909 | 1999 | |
12 | Dale Steyn | 909 | 2014 | |
16 | Alan Davidson | 908 | 1961 | |
17 | Derek Underwood | 907 | 1971 | |
18 | Shane Warne | 905 | 1994 | |
19 | Ravichandran Ashwin | 904 | 2016 | |
20 | Sir Alec Bedser | 903 | 1953 | |
20 | James Anderson | 903 | 2018 | |
22 | Kagiso Rabada | 902 | 2018 | |
23 | Clarrie Grimmett | 901 | 1936 | |
23 | Bill O'Reilly | 901 | 1946 | |
25 | Bill Johnston | 900 | 1952 |
Historical One Day International (ODI) cricket rankings
Year end top ranked players in ODI cricket
Date | Top Batsman | Country | Top Bowler | Country |
2019 | Virat Kohli | Jasprit Bumrah | ||
2018 | Virat Kohli | Jasprit Bumrah | ||
2017 | Virat Kohli | Hasan Ali | ||
2016 | AB de Villiers | Trent Boult | ||
2015 | AB de Villiers | Mitchell Starc | ||
2014 | AB de Villiers | Sunil Narine | ||
2013 | AB de Villiers | Saeed Ajmal | ||
2012 | Hashim Amla | Saeed Ajmal | ||
2011 | Hashim Amla | Saeed Ajmal | ||
2010 | Hashim Amla | Daniel Vettori | ||
2009 | M.S.Dhoni | Daniel Vettori | ||
2008 | M.S.Dhoni | Nathan Bracken | ||
2007 | Ricky Ponting | Shaun Pollock | ||
2006 | Michael Hussey | Shaun Pollock | ||
2005 | Ricky Ponting | Glenn McGrath | ||
2004 | Adam Gilchrist | Shaun Pollock | ||
2003 | Sachin Tendulkar | Shaun Pollock | ||
2002 | Michael Bevan | Shaun Pollock | ||
2001 | Michael Bevan | Muttiah Muralitharan | ||
2000 | Michael Bevan | Muttiah Muralitharan | ||
1999 | Michael Bevan | Shaun Pollock | ||
1998 | Sachin Tendulkar | Saqlain Mushtaq | ||
1997 | Brian Lara | Shaun Pollock | ||
1996 | Brian Lara | Curtly Ambrose | ||
1995 | Brian Lara | Paul Reiffel | ||
1994 | Brian Lara | Wasim Akram | ||
1993 | Brian Lara | Wasim Akram | ||
1992 | Dean Jones | Curtly Ambrose | ||
1991 | Dean Jones | Curtly Ambrose | ||
1990 | Dean Jones | Curtly Ambrose | ||
1989 | Dean Jones | Courtney Walsh | ||
1988 | Javed Miandad | Malcolm Marshall | ||
1987 | Vivian Richards | Maninder Singh | ||
1986 | Vivian Richards | Joel Garner | ||
1985 | Vivian Richards | Joel Garner | ||
1984 | Vivian Richards | Joel Garner | ||
1983 | Zaheer Abbas | Richard Hadlee | ||
1982 | Vivian Richards | Dennis Lillee | ||
1981 | Greg Chappell | Dennis Lillee | ||
1980 | Greg Chappell | Dennis Lillee | ||
1979 | Greg Chappell | Andy Roberts | ||
1978 | Greg Chappell | Chris Old | ||
1977 | Greg Chappell | Max Walker | ||
1976 | Dennis Amiss | Bernard Julien | ||
1975 | Keith Fletcher | Max Walker | ||
1974 | Keith Fletcher | Geoff Arnold | ||
1973 | Dennis Amiss | Geoff Arnold | ||
1972 | Keith Stackpole | Geoff Arnold | ||
1971 | John Edrich | Keith Stackpole |
Top 10 rankings: batting and bowling
;Top 10 Rankings BattingRank | Name | Played for | Highest rating | Year |
1 | Sir Vivian Richards | 935 | 1985 | |
2 | Zaheer Abbas | 931 | 1983 | |
3 | Greg Chappell | 921 | 1981 | |
4 | David Gower | 919 | 1983 | |
5 | Dean Jones | 918 | 1991 | |
6 | Virat Kohli | 911 | 2018 | |
7 | Javed Miandad | 910 | 1987 | |
8 | Brian Lara | 908 | 1993 | |
9 | AB de Villiers | 902 | 2015 | |
10 | Hashim Amla | 901 | 2012 |
;Top 10 Rankings Bowling
Rank | Name | Played for | Highest rating | Year |
1 | Joel Garner | 940 | 1985 | |
2 | Sir Richard Hadlee | 923 | 1983 | |
3 | Shaun Pollock | 917 | 2007 | |
4 | Muttiah Muralitharan | 913 | 2002 | |
5 | Glenn McGrath | 903 | 2002 | |
6 | Ewen Chatfield | 892 | 1984 | |
7 | Malcolm Marshall | 891 | 1985 | |
7 | Dennis Lillee | 891 | 1982 | |
9 | Curtly Ambrose | 877 | 1991 | |
10 | Michael Holding | 875 | 1985 |
Historical T20I rankings
Year end top ranked players in T20I cricket
Date | Top Batsman | Country | Top Bowler | Country |
2019 | Babar Azam | Rashid Khan | ||
2018 | Babar Azam | Rashid Khan | ||
2017 | Aaron Finch | Imad Wasim | ||
2016 | Virat Kohli | Imran Tahir | ||
2015 | Aaron Finch | Sunil Narine | ||
2014 | Virat Kohli | Samuel Badree | ||
2013 | Alex Hales | Sunil Narine | ||
2012 | Shane Watson | Saeed Ajmal | ||
2011 | Eoin Morgan | Ajantha Mendis | ||
2010 | Kevin Pietersen | Graeme Swann | ||
2009 | Graeme Smith | Shahid Afridi | ||
2008 | Misbah-ul-Haq | Umar Gul | ||
2007 | Andrew Symonds | Umar Gul | ||
2006 | Graeme Smith | Andre Adams | ||
2005 | Ricky Ponting | Brett Lee |
Top 10 T20I rankings: batting and bowling
;Top 10 Rankings BattingRank | Name | Played for | Highest rating | Year |
1 | Aaron Finch | 900 | 2018 | |
2 | Virat Kohli | 897 | 2014 | |
3 | Babar Azam | 896 | 2019 | |
4 | Kevin Pietersen | 882 | 2010 | |
5 | Eoin Morgan | 872 | 2011 | |
6 | Alex Hales | 866 | 2014 | |
7 | KL Rahul | 854 | 2018 | |
8 | Brendon McCullum | 849 | 2012 | |
9 | Faf du Plessis | 843 | 2015 | |
10 | Fakhar Zaman | 842 | 2018 |
;Top 10 Rankings Bowling
Rank | Name | Played for | Highest rating | Year |
1 | Umar Gul | 857 | 2009 | |
2 | Samuel Badree | 855 | 2014 | |
3 | Daniel Vettori | 850 | 2010 | |
4 | Sunil Narine | 817 | 2013 | |
5 | Rashid Khan | 816 | 2018 | |
6 | Shahid Afridi | 814 | 2009 | |
7 | Imran Tahir | 795 | 2017 | |
8 | Saeed Ajmal | 788 | 2012 | |
9 | Imad Wasim | 780 | 2017 | |
10 | Shadab Khan | 769 | 2018 | |
10 | Shaun Tait | 769 | 2010 |