Impressive gains by West Indies players after beating New Zealand by ten wickets in the second Test

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(Sports Page)— West Indies’ players are on the march in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen after the conclusion of the second Test in which the West Indies beat New Zealand by ten wickets to level the series 1-1 in Port-of-Spain.

While Shivnarine Chanderpaul has remained in third position after scoring 47 runs in the first innings, climbing up eight places to secure a spot just outside the top 20 is centurion Darren Bravo (109) in 21st position, while Chris Gayle has also moved up two places. He now sits in 26th spot after knocks of one and 80 not out.

Kraigg Brathwaite, who contributed 129 and an unbeaten 14, has jumped up an impressive 35 places to secure 69th position. This is the 21-year-old’s highest ranking to date. Brathwaite previously captained the West Indies in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2012, and ended the 2010 edition of the tournament as the second-highest run-getter, with 335 runs to his name.

Making an entry into the rankings table for the first time ever is the batsman from Jamaica, Jermaine Blackwood. Blackwood was rewarded for his 63 runs in the first innings with entering the top 100, in 67th position, with 390 ratings points.

The latest rankings contain good news for New Zealand batsmen as well. In spite of losing the Test by ten wickets, Ross Taylor has moved up a place and now occupies eighth spot on the rankings table. Tom Latham, having played his third Test, has leapfrogged 13 places to find a place just outside the top 50 at number 53. He scored 82 and 36 runs in the Port-of-Spain Test.

Meanwhile, in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers, Jerome Taylor made the most impressive gains, marching up 38 places to occupy 38th position in the rankings table. The 29-year-old Jamaican, who has not played Test cricket since November 2009 following hip and back injuries, returned match figures of four for 34 and two for 73.

Teammate Kemar Roach has retained 15th position with 659 ratings points. He claimed five wickets in the match for 135 runs.

Ish Sodhi, who was the most successful bowler for New Zealand with four wickets for 96 runs, was rewarded for his efforts. He has jumped seven places to 64th.

The two sides will now face off in the third and final Test, which commences on 26 June in Bridgetown.