David Warner and Ryan Harris were the big winners from Australia’s thrilling 2-1 Test series win over South Africa earlier this week.
Both players saw their stock improve on the ICC player rankings after providing major roles in the third Test victory in Cape Town.
Warner produced scores of 135 and 145 with the bat and averaged 91 over the course of the series, all of this in the face of the $2,280 fine he copped (15% of his Port Elizabeth match fee) ahead of the series decider for alleging the South African bowling attack had been involved in case of ball tampering.
The 27-year-old Warner has produced nine half centuries or better since the start of the Ashes series in Australia earlier this summer, five of those totals of 112 or more.
Harris’ heroics in the final overs in Cape Town have seen him move up to second on the ICC bowling list, just behind South African paceman Dale Steyn.
Harris played throughout the series carrying a variety of injuries, including a sore hip flexor and a swollen knee which required fluid be drained from it.
“My knee’s ready for a clean out. I’m cooked,” Harris said after securing the two clutch wickets to win the series late on day five.
“South Africa were tough to budge but the way we battled was fantastic. I was hoping Mitchell (Johnson) would finish them off but I’m happy to play my part.
“Ryan Harris was battling to walk at the start of the day, let alone run in and do the job he did for us,” captain Michael Clarke said post-match.
Steve Smith was one of the other Australians to experience a rise in the rankings thanks to his role holding up the Aussie middle order. He moved up to 12th spot after scoring 269 runs at an average of 67.25.
Michael Clarke also helped cement his spot in the top 10 after a recent form slump by registering a hard-fought total of 161 in Graeme Smith’s last Test as South African captain.
Peter Siddle, dropped from the third Test in favour of James Pattinson, remains in the top 10. Spinner Nathan Lyon is ranked 21st and Pattinson 28.
ICC Top 10 Batsmen List
AB De Villiers (South Africa)
Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)
Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies)
Hashim Amla (South Africa)
David Warner (Australia)
Ross Taylor (New Zealand)
Misbah ul-Haq (Pakistan)
Cheteshwar Pujara (India)
Michael Clarke (Australia)
Virat Kohli (India)
ICC Top 10 Bowlers List
Dale Steyn
Ryan Harris
Vernon Philander
Mitchell Johnson
Saeed Ajmal
Rangana Herath
Trent Boult
Tim Southeee
Ravi Ashwin
Peter Siddle
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