ICC World Twenty20 champion West Indies breathing down India’s neck

• West Indies defeated 2010 winner England by four wickets in front of a packed Eden Gardens, and has consequently moved ahead of New Zealand in second place
• Player of the final Samuels returns to the top 20; Root breaks into the top five for first time; player of the tournament Kohli remains world’s highest-ranked batsman 
• India’s Bumrah and Nehra achieve career-high rankings

ICC World Twenty20 India 2016 champion West Indies has number-one ranked India firmly within its sights after it became the only country to win the tournament twice. 

The West Indies defeated 2010 winner England by four wickets in front of a packed Eden Gardens, and has consequently moved ahead of New Zealand in second place. The West Indies is now on 125 points, one point behind India which lost to the eventual champion in Mumbai in the second semi-final on Thursday. 

After finishing as the second best side in the tournament, England is now fourth after swapping places with South Africa. New Zealand, which lost to England in the first semi-final in Delhi on Wednesday, has retained its third place at 120 points. 

Meanwhile, in the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for T20I Batsmen, India’s ViratKohli has comfortably defended his number-one position. India’s top-order batsman, who was adjudged player of the tournament leads Australia’s second-ranked Aaron Finch by 86 points. Kohli had entered the home competition leading Finch by 24 points. 

England’s Joe Root, who finished as the third leading run-getter behind Tamim Iqbal and Kohli with 249 runs, has broken into the top five for the first time in his career. Root scored 27 not out in the semi-final and 54 in the final, for which he has been rewarded with a jump seven places that has now put him in fourth position. 

Marlon Samuels, who won the player of the final award, has also returned to the top 20 in 18th position. The top-order batsman scored eight in the semi-final and 85 not out in the final, which has helped him rise five places to share the position with South Africa’s Quinton de Kock. 

England’s Jos Buttler is the other batsman inside the top 25 to improve his ranking. The wicketkeeper/batsman is now in 24th spot after moving up three places. 

Batsmen outside the top 25 to head in the right direction include Lendl Simmons of the West Indies (32nd, up by 17 places), New Zealand’s Colin Munro (37th, up by 18 places), Johnson Charles of the West Indies (50th, up by 14 places) and England’s Jason Roy (62nd, up by 33 places). 

In the MRF Tyres ICC Player Ranking for T20I Bowlers, India’s pace duo of JaspritBumrah and Ashish Nehra have achieved career-best rankings. 

Bumrah has vaulted six places to seventh, while Nehra has climbed five places and is now in 11th position. 

West Indies’ Samuel Badree is the number-one ranked bowler and he leads fellow wrist-spinner Imran Tahir of South Africa by 50 points, while India’s RavichandaranAshwin is in third position, another 28 points behind. 

Bowlers outside the top 25 to make an impact in the latest rankings include England’s Chris Jordon (30th, up by 19 places), Adil Rashid of England (51st, up by 29 places) and Andre Russell of the West Indies (58th, up by 18 places). 

There is no change in the top five of the all-rounders’ list, which is headed by a retired Shane Watson. He is followed by Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh, Pakistan’s ShahidAfridi, Australia’s Glenn Maxwell and West Indies’ Marlon Samuels.