ICC Rankings: Kane Williamson surpasses Steve Smith and Virat Kohli to end 2020 as top-ranked batsman

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Dubai, December 31: New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has surpassed Steve Smith and Virat Kohli to claim the top spot for batsmen in the latest ICC Men's Test Player Rankings after his player of the match effort in the first Test against Pakistan in Tauranga.

Meanwhile, Kohli is now placed at the second spot in the latest rankings while Smith - who has had a dismal show in the first two Tests against India - has slipped to third.

Willamson had briefly occupied the top spot towards the end of 2015 but either Smith or Kohli have been number one since then. This year too, Smith was at the top for 313 days and Kohli for 51, before Williamson surged ahead of his two contemporaries from the ICC Under-19 Men's Cricket World Cup 2008.

In Thursday's year-ending update, that also includes performances from the second Test between Australia and India in Melbourne and the first Test between South Africa and Sri Lanka in Centurion, Williamson has gained 13 rating points for his effort of 129 and 21 to go 11 points clear of Kohli and 13 ahead of Smith. Kohli is on paternity leave for the last three Tests of India's ongoing series against Australia while Smith's MCG outing could only get him scores of zero and eight.

Ross Taylor (up three places to 14th) is another New Zealand batsman to move up while 26-year-old fast bowler Kyle Jamieson has reached the top 30 after just five Tests, following his hauls of three for 35 and two for 35 in Tauranga.

For Pakistan, Fawad Alam's valiant second-innings century has lifted him 80 places to 102nd position while wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan's scores of 71 and 60 have helped him advance 27 places to a career-best 47th position. Left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi has moved from 35th to 33rd after grabbing four wickets in the first innings.