Kagiso Rabada has jumped above Dale Steyn as the No 1 ranked SA Test bowler after ending top wicket-taker in the series against Sri Lanka. 

The 21-year-old speedster sat 17th on the Test rankings at the conclusion of the series in Australia and now sits No 5 after his performance against Sri Lanka, one above Steyn who drops to sixth position due to his time on the sidelines. Rabada’s 19 wickets against Sri Lanka were vital South Africa’s dominance in the series which led the Proteas to a 3-0 whitewash. He also passed a few milestones during the series.

In the Proteas’ second-Test win at Newlands, Rabada (at 21 yrs 223 days) became the second-youngest SA bowler to 50 wickets with his four-for on day two, behind Paul Adams (21 yrs 138 days). He also reached his fifth five-for of his career and ended the match with his second 10-wicket haul, to help claim a series win. KG also became the only pace bowler to take three six-wicket hauls before the age of 22.

Special mention goes to Quinton de Kock whose consistent form has jumped him from 11th, after Australia, to N0 9 on the ICC rankings. He ended the Sri Lanka series as the third top scorer with 270 runs, including one century and a fifty. JP Duminy’s 155 at the Wanderers and 63 in PE placed him second on the scorer’s list with 273 runs with Dean Elgar taking the top spot for his century and two fifties in the series. They both moved up the rankings since the 2-1 Australia win, with JP Duminy jumping from 43rd to No 33 and Elgar moving from 32nd to 21. Proteas captain, Faf du Plessis, has jumped two places to tie with Elgar in 21st.

Hashim Amla, who was ranked fifth after the loss in Adelaide, now sits at No 6 and Vernon Philander moves up one to No 9 since the 2-1 victory Down Under.

PHOTO: Petri OeschgerGallo Images