India captain Virat Kohli retained his fifth spot, while teammates Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant were joint sixth in the latest ICC Test rankings for batsmen.
After 45 games in the ICC men's cricket World Cup the group stage is complete, and the final four now know who will play who in the semi-finals. Australia, India, England and New Zealand knew prior to Saturday's final group matches that they would be in the top four and that all that was to be decided was the end of group standings.
The dead rubber New Year's Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground at least offers a chance for New Zealand to reset
Craig Ervine scored a maiden Test century to help Zimbabwe hold up New Zealand's victory charge on day three of the second Test and steer the home side to 305 for six in their first innings by stumps on Monday.
Pakistan smashed their third highest One-day total of 364 in a crushing 147-run win over New Zealand to move 2-1 up in the five-match series on Sunday.
The Australian skipper further said that he is really excited to play against New Zealand in the summit clash and even called them a 'great team'.
While the NZC will be updating its players about the health safety protocols and latest COVID-19 related developments, the onus will be on the six individuals to do due diligence.
Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Kyle Jamieson and Mitchell Santner are among 10 New Zealand players in the different franchises of the IPL.
New Zealand's towering new all-rounder Kyle Jamieson provided a second consecutive match-winning performance in the second Test against India at Hagley Oval on Monday as the home side clinched a 2-0 series win. He took Player of the Series honours after taking 5-45 in India's first innings followed by 49 batting at number nine as India's pace bowlers fought back on a green pitch offering extravagant movement off the seam.
Trent Boult and Neil Wagner quickly wrapped up Sri Lanka's second innings on Sunday as New Zealand clinched the series 1-0 with a dominant 423-run victory in the second Test.
Win against Pakistan pushed the Kiwis to top of the heap as they became the sixth country in the past 10 years to be ranked number one in Test cricket.
Martin Guptill on Saturday bludgeoned his way to the record books with the highest individual World Cup knock as New Zealand beat West Indies by 143 runs
Taylor, who celebrated his 400th international appearance with a match-winning 82.
Images from Day 5 of the ICC World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand, at The Hampshire Bowl, in Southampton, on Tuesday.
While only two games produced results in the composite six-match white-ball series in New Zealand owing to rain, Dhawan hoped that the weather will be better in Bangladesh.
Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja reduced Australia's victory target to 131 runs with nine wickets in hand at the end of the fourth day of the second Test against New Zealand at Hagley Oval on Tuesday.
Virat Kohli advanced four slots to ninth position after scores of 38 and 76 in the first Test against South Africa.
Part-time spinner Kane Williamson took two wickets, including that of Alastair Cook, just before stumps to put New Zealand firmly in charge of the series-deciding third Test against England at the end of the fourth day at Eden Park on Monday.
Peter Fulton scored his maiden Test century as he anchored New Zealand to an impressive 250 for one at the close of play on the first day of the series-deciding third Test against England at Eden Park on Friday.
England enforced the follow-on after bowling New Zealand out for 254 shortly before tea on the third day of the second Test at the Basin Reserve on Saturday. New Zealand were dismissed 12 runs short of the required target, with Stuart Broad rattling through New Zealand's lower order with six wickets to leave the hosts well adrift of England's 465.
A turner in Pune exposed the soft underbelly of Indian batters' technique against slow bowling but as per the current team's philosophy, it has decided to take the bull by its horns by asking for a turner where the ball might turn at right angles from first hour.
The team includes four Pakistanis, three Indians, three Englishmen and one Bangladeshi, with Kane Williamson of New Zealand as 12th man.
A formidable Indian cricket team is likely to revel in home conditions, as they prepare to host and dominate New Zealand in the first Test in Kanpur, from Thursday, heralding the beginning of a long 13-match home season.
India are yet to finalise their middle-order ahead of the World Cup but are unlikely to tinker much with the playing eleven for Friday's second ODI in Mount Maunganui.
Boult got through a nets session unscathed on a scorching hot day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Wednesday in a boost to Kane Williamson's team.
Fast bowler Trent Boult is in line to play his first one-day international in almost a year after being included in New Zealand's 15-man squad for a four-match series against England.
Suryakumar Yadav has dropped one spot to fourth place in the latest ICC Men's T20I Players Rankings
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson and coach, Mike Hesson, opined that it will be a "bit of scrap" for the batsmen to face Ravichandran Ashwin & Co. while their own spinners need to adapt quickly to the SG Test from kookaburra ball.
On the back of some great all-round performance, Australia thumped New Zealand by 247 runs to win the Boxing Day Test and take a 2-0 series lead. Images from Day 4 of the Boxing Day Test played at the MCG on Sunday.
Southee, who with fellow stalwart Kane Williamson was playing his 100th Test, said he thought the contest had been a great advert for the longest form of the game.
In the epic final at the Lord's, New Zealand lost to hosts England on boundary count-back after scores were tied even after the super over. Gambhir believes the Black Caps have been putting up impressive performances in the World Cups but have never got the credit they deserve.
Williamson has a chance to topple Kohli at the top of the rankings.
Bangladesh shocked New Zealand by five wickets to keep their hopes alive of making it to the semi-finals at the ICC Champions Trophy in Cardiff, on Friday.
The opening day of the ICC World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand was called off due to persistent rain, in Southampton, on Friday.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing for the World Cup match against New Zealand?
The series already in their pocket and the number one ranking cemented, a dominant India go into the third Test against New Zealand in Indore on Saturday, aiming yet another clean sweep of a Test rubber at home. The hosts had blanked Australia 4-0 in 2012-13 and the West Indies in the next season. They nearly repeated the feat against South Africa last year and this impressive history in recent past makes India favourites in the first-ever Test being hosted by this city which has a long tradition in the game.
Glenn Phillips raced around the outfield to take an excellent diving catch at extra cover to trigger an Australian collapse.
Wicketkeeper Matt Prior produced a belligerent century to ensure England saved the series-deciding third Test against New Zealand at EdenPark on Tuesday, despite Kane Williamson taking two late wickets that almost snatched victory for the hosts.
New Zealand, who abandoned their white-ball tour of Pakistan last year due to security concerns, are looking to end a run of four straight test defeats with Southee as the new captain following the six-year tenure of Kane Williamson.
Shardul Thakur feels the conditions make New Zealand one of the toughest places to play cricket in.
