Samuels and Narine on the move in Reliance ICC T20i player rankings

• Marlon Samuels and Sunil Narine both leaped 20 places in the batting and bowling tables respectively

West Indies’ success in the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012 has been reflected in the Reliance ICC T20I Player Rankings which were released on Monday, with the man of the match in the final Marlon Samuels and impressive young spinner Sunil Narine, both recording rises of 20 places in the batting and bowling rankings respectively.

Samuels, who hammered 78 and took one for 15 in the 36-runs victory over the host Sri Lanka, leapt 20 places to 18th in the batting rankings and was up seven places to equal ninth in the all-rounders’ table. Both represented career-best ratings as did his improving bowling ranking of 60th – up 19 places.

Sunil Narine’s three for nine in the final capped an impressive tournament and his 20 place move took him to equal 13th in the bowling rankings with a career best rating of 638 while his colleague Samuel Badree, who claimed the key wicket in the final of Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara with his leg-breaks, moved a staggering 46 places to 47th in the rankings table.

Chris Gayle, who dominated the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012 semi-final against Australia, moved into second place in the batting rankings behind New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum. Gayle leapfrogged player of the tournament Shane Watson of Australia, who dropped to third in the batting rankings but maintained his position as number-one all-rounder and is still sixth in the bowling rankings.

For Sri Lanka the only consolation was Ajantha Mendis who overtook England’s Graeme Swann to stand second in the bowling rankings, while Angelo Mathews rose six places to joint 18th. Mathews also moved up one place in the all-rounders table to join Samuels in ninth place.

Meanwhile, West Indies has moved up five places to second in the Reliance ICC T20I Championship table after beating number-one ranked Sri Lanka in the final of the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012. Sri Lanka has retained the number-one spot despite the loss in the final.  Pakistan has moved down three places to sixth in the table after losing in the semi-final to Sri Lanka.