Cricket fans love a good debate about who’s the best in the world right now. The ICC player rankings settle that debate with real numbers. These rankings track recent form across Test, ODI, and T20I cricket, and they update after almost every series. Here’s a full breakdown of where things stand as of September 2026.
What Are ICC Player Rankings?
The ICC player rankings are a system that scores international cricketers based on their recent performances. Ted Dexter suggested the idea back in 1987. The goal was simple: give fans a better picture of a player’s current form than a plain career average ever could.
A career average treats every match the same. It doesn’t care if a player scored runs against a weak attack or a strong one. The rankings fix that. They weigh recent matches more heavily, and they factor in match conditions and the quality of the opposition too.
Test rankings came first. ODI rankings followed in 1998. Today, both formats, plus T20I, have full historical data going all the way back to when each format began.
How Are Player Rankings Calculated?
Each player rating comes from a weighted average of match performances. Here’s what goes into the formula:
- Every match performance gets a score out of 1,000, based on set criteria.
- Recent matches count more than older ones, so form always matters most.
- Batting scores depend on runs made, the quality of the bowlers faced, the match result, and how the score compares to others in that match.
- Bowling scores depend on wickets taken, runs conceded, and the result, with bonus points for dismissing top-rated batsmen.
- All-rounder ratings come from multiplying a player’s batting and bowling rating, then dividing by 1,000.
New players get a damping factor applied early in their career. This stops a single great debut from pushing someone straight to the top before they’ve proven themselves over time. A rating close to 900 is considered a truly exceptional achievement.
Top Test Player Rankings
Test cricket rewards patience and consistency. Here’s who leads the pack right now.
Top 10 Test Batsmen
- Harry Brook (England)-856
- Steven Smith (Australia)-840
- Joe Root (England)-820
- Travis Head (Australia)-811
- Temba Bavuma (South Africa)-775
- Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand)-740
- Rishabh Pant (India)-713
- Daryl Mitchell (New Zealand)-710
- Shubman Gill (India)-709
- Kamindu Mendis (Sri Lanka)-706
Top 10 Test Bowlers
- Mitchell Starc (Australia)-872
- Matt Henry (New Zealand)-861
- Jasprit Bumrah (India)-853
- Pat Cummins (Australia)-841
- Ollie Robinson (England)-831
- Marco Jansen (South Africa)-825
- Kagiso Rabada (South Africa)-807
- Scott Boland (Australia)-804
- Noman Ali (Pakistan)-785
- Josh Hazlewood (Australia)-783
Top 10 Test All-Rounders
- Ravindra Jadeja (India)-422
- Marco Jansen (South Africa)-344
- Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Bangladesh)-314
- Mitchell Starc (Australia)-276
- Wiaan Mulder (South Africa)-245
- Pat Cummins (Australia)-234
- Washington Sundar (India)-234
- Gus Atkinson (England)-229
- Justin Greaves (West Indies)-225
- Joe Root (England)-204
Top ODI Player Rankings
ODI cricket sits between the patience of Tests and the speed of T20s. These are the current leaders.
Top 10 ODI Batsmen
- Shubman Gill (India)-801
- Daryl Mitchell (New Zealand)-794
- Virat Kohli (India)-767
- Rohit Sharma (India)-758
- Ibrahim Zadran (Afghanistan)-719
- Babar Azam (Pakistan)-689
- Joe Root (England)-674
- Shai Hope (West Indies)-673
- Charith Asalanka (Sri Lanka)-659
- Harry Tector (Ireland)-653
Top 10 ODI Bowlers
- Rashid Khan (Afghanistan)-714
- Abrar Ahmed (Pakistan)-675
- Jofra Archer (England)-649
- Mitchell Santner (New Zealand)-645
- Keshav Maharaj (South Africa)-644
- Maheesh Theekshana (Sri Lanka)-641
- Bernard Scholtz (Namibia)-613
- Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pakistan)-604
- Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Bangladesh)-602
- Adil Rashid (England)-599
Top 10 ODI All-Rounders
- Azmatullah Omarzai (Afghanistan)-337
- Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Bangladesh)-260
- Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe)-258
- Michael Bracewell (New Zealand)-250
- Mitchell Santner (New Zealand)-247
- Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan)-238
- Brandon McMullen (Scotland)-238
- Rashid Khan (Afghanistan)-232
- Axar Patel (India)-210
- Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka)-205
Top T20I Player Rankings
T20I cricket rewards explosive form, and the rankings here often shift the fastest of all three formats.
Top 10 T20I Batsmen
- Ishan Kishan (India)-910
- Sahibzada Farhan (Pakistan)-848
- Abhishek Sharma (India)-819
- Dewald Brevis (South Africa)-806
- Phil Salt (England)-799
- Pathum Nissanka (Sri Lanka)-751
- Tilak Varma (India)-750
- Jos Buttler (England)-748
- Harry Brook (England)-734
- Mitchell Marsh (Australia)-706
Top 10 T20I Bowlers
- Rashid Khan (Afghanistan)-753
- Abrar Ahmed (Pakistan)-736
- Adil Rashid (England)-710
- Adam Zampa (Australia)-700
- Nathan Ellis (Australia)-675
- Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka)-668
- Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Afghanistan)-663
- Varun Chakravarthy (India)-658
- Mohammad Nawaz (Pakistan)-658
- Maheesh Theekshana (Sri Lanka)-658
Top 10 T20I All-Rounders
- Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe)-316
- Saim Ayub (Pakistan)-275
- Dipendra Singh Airee (Nepal)-256
- Roston Chase (West Indies)-249
- Hardik Pandya (India)-244
- Will Jacks (England)-243
- Azmatullah Omarzai (Afghanistan)-241
- Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan)-209
- Jason Holder (West Indies)-203
- Mohammad Nawaz (Pakistan)-203
Why Player Rankings Matter More Than Career Averages
A lot of fans still check career averages first. But averages have a blind spot. They don’t adjust for how tough the opposition was, or whether a player is in good form right now. Player rankings solve that problem by rewarding current performance over old numbers. That’s why selectors, broadcasters, and analysts rely on them so heavily.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the top-ranked Test batsman right now?
Harry Brook of England leads the Test batting rankings with a rating of 856.
Who is the number one ODI batsman?
Shubman Gill of India tops the ODI batting rankings with a rating of 801.
Who is the highest-rated T20I batsman?
Ishan Kishan of India leads the T20I batting rankings with a rating of 910.
What is a good ICC player rating?
Ratings run on a scale up to 1,000. A rating close to 900 is seen as an exceptional achievement in international cricket.
How often do player rankings update?
Rankings update regularly, usually after each series or major tournament, since they’re weighted toward recent form.
Final Thoughts
The latest player rankings paint a clear picture of who’s dominating world cricket right now, across all three formats. Whether you follow Test cricket’s grinders, ODI cricket’s all-rounders, or T20I’s big hitters, these numbers give you a snapshot updated with real, recent form. Check back often, since these rankings shift fast as new series wrap up.
