New Zealand captain Kane Williamson’s epic 238 in the second Test against Pakistan in Christchurch has helped him reach the best ever-rating points by a New Zealand player while consolidating his position at the top of the list of batsmen in the ICC Men's Test Players Rankings.

Williamson, named player of the series after leading his side to an innings and 176 runs win and a 2-0 victory in the two-Test series, has reached 919 rating points, bettering his own mark of 915 in December 2018. ICC Cricket Hall of Famer Richard Hadlee is the only other player from New Zealand to go past the 900-point mark, reaching a career-high 909 rating points in bowling in December 1985.

In the latest rankings update that includes the second Test between South Africa and Sri Lanka in Johannesburg and the third Test between Australia and India in Sydney, Steve Smith has leapfrogged Virat Kohli to second position after scores of 131 and 81 while Dean Elgar has moved to 13th&nbsp;position with knocks of 127 and 31 not out.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/australian-captain-tim-paine-apologises-for-sledging-against-ashwin-in-sydney-test-356168" hreflang="en">Australian captain Tim Paine apologises for sledging against Ashwin in Sydney Test</a>

In other movement for New Zealand players, Henry Nicholls has gained three places to reach ninth among batsmen after his knock of 157 while fast bowler Kyle Jamieson’s match haul of 11-117 has lifted him seven places to a career-best 21st&nbsp;place. With 36 Test wickets so far, Jamieson is also fifth among all-rounders after only six Tests.

Azhar Ali’s knocks of 93 and 37 have helped him advance him seven places to 18th&nbsp;position and his compatriot Mohammad Rizwan’s first-innings half-century has helped him gain 10 places to reach 37th&nbsp;position.

The drawn Sydney Test saw Marun Labuschagne consolidate the fourth position with a career-best 866 rating points after scores of 91 and 73 while fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has gained three places to reach fifth position with four wickets in the match.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ind-vs-aus-3rd-test-bruised-and-broken-but-sydney-was-conquered-356068" hreflang="en">Bruised and broken but Sydney was 'conquered'</a>

For India, Cheteshwar Pujara’s knocks of 50 and 77 have taken him from eighth to 10th&nbsp;position and Rishabh Pant’s scores of 36 and 97 have helped him gain 19 places to reach 26th&nbsp;position. Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin too have gained after their fighting knocks, as has Shubman Gill.

The Centurion Test saw Anrich Nortje (up 10 places to 38th), Wiaan Mulder (up 22 places to 45th), Lutho Sipamla (up 23 places to 47th) and Lungi Ngidi (up seven places to 49th) make huge gains among bowlers while for Sri Lanka, captain Dimuth Karunaratne (up two places to 15th) and Kusal Perera (up four places to 56th) have moved up in the list of batsmen.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson’s epic 238 in the second Test against Pakistan in Christchurch has helped him reach the best ever-rating points by a New Zealand player while consolidating his position at the top of the list of batsmen in the ICC Men's Test Players Rankings.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson’s epic 238 in the second Test against Pakistan in Christchurch has helped him reach the best ever-rating points by a New Zealand player while consolidating his position at the top of the list of batsmen in the ICC Men's Test Players Rankings. Williamson, named player of the series after leading his side to an innings and 176 runs win and a 2-0 victory in the two-Test series, has reached 919 rating points, bettering his own mark of 915 in December 2018. ICC Cricket Hall of Famer Richard Hadlee is the only other player from New Zealand to go past the 900-point mark, reaching a career-high 909 rating points in bowling in December 1985. In the latest rankings update that includes the second Test between South Africa and Sri Lanka in Johannesburg and the third Test between Australia and India in Sydney, Steve Smith has leapfrogged Virat Kohli to second position after scores of 131 and 81 while Dean Elgar has moved to 13th position with knocks of 127 and 31 not out. ALSO READ: Australian captain Tim Paine apologises for sledging against Ashwin in Sydney Test In other movement for New Zealand players, Henry Nicholls has gained three places to reach ninth among batsmen after his knock of 157 while fast bowler Kyle Jamieson’s match haul of 11-117 has lifted him seven places to a career-best 21st place. With 36 Test wickets so far, Jamieson is also fifth among all-rounders after only six Tests. Azhar Ali’s knocks of 93 and 37 have helped him advance him seven places to 18th position and his compatriot Mohammad Rizwan’s first-innings half-century has helped him gain 10 places to reach 37th position. The drawn Sydney Test saw Marun Labuschagne consolidate the fourth position with a career-best 866 rating points after scores of 91 and 73 while fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has gained three places to reach fifth position with four wickets in the match. ALSO READ: Bruised and broken but Sydney was 'conquered' For India, Cheteshwar Pujara’s knocks of 50 and 77 have taken him from eighth to 10th position and Rishabh Pant’s scores of 36 and 97 have helped him gain 19 places to reach 26th position. Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin too have gained after their fighting knocks, as has Shubman Gill. The Centurion Test saw Anrich Nortje (up 10 places to 38th), Wiaan Mulder (up 22 places to 45th), Lutho Sipamla (up 23 places to 47th) and Lungi Ngidi (up seven places to 49th) make huge gains among bowlers while for Sri Lanka, captain Dimuth Karunaratne (up two places to 15th) and Kusal Perera (up four places to 56th) have moved up in the list of batsmen.

Kane Williamson sets new Test rankings high for a New Zealand player

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson on Thursday overtook Australia’s Steven Smith and Indian captain Virat Kohli&nbsp;to become the number one Test batsman in the latest ICC rankings.

Williamson jumped from third to first after his Man of the Match effort leading the Black Caps to a memorable 101-run win against Pakistan while scoring a splendid 129 runs in the first innings and a rapid 21 in the second when New Zealand were trying to stretch the lead before declaring.

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How it started v how it's going 😅 <a href="https://t.co/XKyEJUgUAS">pic.twitter.com/XKyEJUgUAS</a>
— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1344513625109782529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 31, 2020</a></blockquote>
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ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/icc-announces-decade-awards-from-kohli-smith-to-perry-heres-complete-list-of-winners-352996" hreflang="en">ICC announces Decade Awards: From Kohli, Smith to Perry - Here's complete list of winners</a>

Williamson described the feeling as “humbling” to overtake Smith, who was atop the ICC Test Rankings for 313 days in 2020, Kohli, who was sitting numero uno for 51 days. Smith dipped to third in the ICC rankings behind Kohli after registering scores of duck and eight in Australia’s second Test against India where Kohli was on paternity leave.

"They are incredible players of our generation," Williamson said as he arrived in Christchurch ahead of the second Pakistan Test which starts on Sunday.

"Those two players are the best so for me to sneak up perhaps in some way, is very surprising and humbling."&nbsp;

All three of Williamson, Smith and Kohli were named in the ICC Team of the Decade while the Aussie was named the Male Test Player of the Decade. Kohli, on the other hand, was awarded Best ODI Player of the Decade.&nbsp;

ALOS READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/lewis-hamilton-knighted-in-uks-new-year-honours-list-353538" hreflang="en">Lewis Hamilton knighted in UK's New Year Honours list</a>

Williamson, after achieving number one rank in ICC rankings, would be looking to guide New Zealand to another win against Pakistan in the second Test to be played at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

Meanwhile, India's Ajinkya Rahane jumped five places to be in the fifth spot after a sensational century in the Boxing Day Test vs Australia where he helped India to achieve an eight-wicket win to equalise the series 1-1.&nbsp;

In the bowlers' list, Mitchell Starc entered top five, jumping two spot after his performance in the Test series against India. Ravichandran Ashwin continued to reap rewards for his good run of form as he now sits in the seventh spot in the list.

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🇦🇺 Mitchell Starc enters top five 
🇮🇳 R Ashwin jumps to No.7 
🇮🇳 Jasprit Bumrah becomes No.9 
 
Latest update in the <a href="https://twitter.com/MRFWorldwide?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MRFWorldwide</a> ICC Test Rankings 👉 <a href="https://t.co/OMjjVwOboH">https://t.co/OMjjVwOboH</a> <a href="https://t.co/RLU1nMpfoV">pic.twitter.com/RLU1nMpfoV</a>
— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1344511246679347202?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 31, 2020</a></blockquote>
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New Zealand captain Kane Williamson on Thursday overtook Australia’s Steven Smith and Indian captain Virat Kohli to become the number one Test batsman in the latest ICC rankings.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson on Thursday overtook Australia’s Steven Smith and Indian captain Virat Kohli to become the number one Test batsman in the latest ICC rankings. Williamson jumped from third to first after his Man of the Match effort leading the Black Caps to a memorable 101-run win against Pakistan while scoring a splendid 129 runs in the first innings and a rapid 21 in the second when New Zealand were trying to stretch the lead before declaring. How it started v how it's going 😅 pic.twitter.com/XKyEJUgUAS — ICC (@ICC) December 31, 2020 × ALSO READ: ICC announces Decade Awards: From Kohli, Smith to Perry - Here's complete list of winners Williamson described the feeling as “humbling” to overtake Smith, who was atop the ICC Test Rankings for 313 days in 2020, Kohli, who was sitting numero uno for 51 days. Smith dipped to third in the ICC rankings behind Kohli after registering scores of duck and eight in Australia’s second Test against India where Kohli was on paternity leave. "They are incredible players of our generation," Williamson said as he arrived in Christchurch ahead of the second Pakistan Test which starts on Sunday. "Those two players are the best so for me to sneak up perhaps in some way, is very surprising and humbling." All three of Williamson, Smith and Kohli were named in the ICC Team of the Decade while the Aussie was named the Male Test Player of the Decade. Kohli, on the other hand, was awarded Best ODI Player of the Decade. ALOS READ: Lewis Hamilton knighted in UK's New Year Honours list Williamson, after achieving number one rank in ICC rankings, would be looking to guide New Zealand to another win against Pakistan in the second Test to be played at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. Meanwhile, India's Ajinkya Rahane jumped five places to be in the fifth spot after a sensational century in the Boxing Day Test vs Australia where he helped India to achieve an eight-wicket win to equalise the series 1-1. In the bowlers' list, Mitchell Starc entered top five, jumping two spot after his performance in the Test series against India. Ravichandran Ashwin continued to reap rewards for his good run of form as he now sits in the seventh spot in the list. 🇦🇺 Mitchell Starc enters top five 🇮🇳 R Ashwin jumps to No.7 🇮🇳 Jasprit Bumrah becomes No.9 Latest update in the @MRFWorldwide ICC Test Rankings 👉 https://t.co/OMjjVwOboH pic.twitter.com/RLU1nMpfoV — ICC (@ICC) December 31, 2020 ×

ICC Rankings: Kane Williamson overtakes Smith, Kohli as top Test batsman; Ajinkya Rahane enters Top 10

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Kane Williamson sets new Test rankings high for a New Zealand player

ICC Rankings: Kane Williamson overtakes Smith, Kohli as top Test batsman; Ajinkya Rahane enters Top 10