Zimbabwe and Bangladesh players will aim to improve their rankings in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings when the two sides go head to head in a two-Test series that starts in Harare Wednesday.In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen, Zimbabwe’s highest ranked batsman is the captain, Brendan Taylor in 70th Position. The two other Zimbabwe batsmen inside the top 100 are Vusi Sibanda in 71st position and Tino Mawoyo in 87th.
The highest ranked batsman from the two sides is Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan who is in 29th place. Bangladesh batsmen aiming for upward movement are Tamim Iqbal (31st), Mushfiqur Rahim (37th), Nasir Hossain (46th), Shahriar Nafees (66th) and Mohammad Ashraful (69th).
The batting table is headed by South Africa’s Hashim Amla, while Shivnarine Chanderpaul of the West Indies is second and AB de Villiers of South Africa third.
In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers, Kyle Jarvis ranked (57th), Hamilton Mazakadza (93rd) and Prosper Utseya (96th) are the Zimbabwe bowlers inside the top 100, Shakib is once again the highest-ranked bowler from either side, in 15th spot. Bangladesh bowlers targeting a rise in the table include Sohag Gazi (59th), Shahadat Hossain (60th), Mahmudullah (69th), Rubel Hossain (85th) and Robiul Islam (92nd). Dale Steyn of South Africa sits on top of the bowlers’ tree, followed by team-mate Vernon Philander and Rangana Herath of Sri Lanka.
In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders, Shakib will be looking to regain his number-one position from South Africa’s Jacques Kallis. Shakib trails the South African by just three ratings points.
The two teams square off at Harare Sports Club in Two Tests, the first of which runs from April 17 to April 21, with the second set for April 25 to 29. They will also face each other in three One Day Internationals at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo starting on May 3.
The last time the two teams met in Zimbabwe was way back in August, 2011, when the hosts won the one off Test by 130 runs and also clinched the five ODI series 3-2.
Coach Steve Mangongo is hoping to steer Zimbabwe back to winning ways after losing to Pakistan, New Zealand, and lately to West Indies in a whitewash.
Zimbabwe will finish the Test series just one short of the minimum eight Tests required to enter the Reliance ICC Test Championship Table.
(Source: Agencies)
