South Africa opener Connor Esterhuizen has climbed significantly after having a great tri-series in Windhoek with South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. The 25-year-old right-handed batsman has jumped up 65 places to rank 25th in the latest ICC Men's T20I Batting Rankings.
Esterhuizen scored 126 runs in four innings, including a career-best 88 runs in his final group-stage match against Namibia. He has made a magnificent impact on the competition, helping South Africa to climb up the rankings as one of the leading T20I batters in the world.
Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Namibia Stars Make Big ICC T20I Ranking Gains
Fellow South African, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, had an equally successful time with the bat during the tri-series. The 20-year-old registered 226 runs in four innings to improve his spot on the rankings chart by 61 places. The move saw Pretorius climb to an equal 43rd position on the ICC Men's T20I Batting Rankings.
The young Proteas batsman has subsequently made great strides in the new rankings following his exploits in Windhoek.
Although it was not to be the hosts' year in the tri-series, several Namibian cricketers have also added ground. Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus added 16 positions to climb to an equal 55th place on the ICC Men's T20I Batting Rankings, while opener Louren Steenkamp improved by 32 spots to an equal 73rd position.
Their captain's performance with the bat also earned him a spot on the ICC Men's T20I All-Rounders Rankings.
Erasmus moved up four places to eighth on the list, his highest ever recorded ranking. The veteran Namibian all-rounder scored 149 runs and picked up five wickets in the tri-series. His match-winning heroics in Windhoek saw Erasmus named as one of Namibia's key men.
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Brad Evans Leads Bowling Rankings Surge
Spin bowler Brad Evans was amongst the bowlers who had a great tri-series. The Zimbabwean seamer picked 10 wickets at an average of 15.80 in the tournament. Evans improved his position by four spots to an equal 22nd place on the ICC Men's T20I Bowling Rankings.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza also climbed two positions on the bowling rankings chart to 27th place.
South Africa's bowlers also improved their positions in the latest rankings. Kwena Maphaka climbed 16 places to an equal 38th, while fellow seamer Bjorn Fortuin made the biggest improvement with a jump of 37 spots to an equal 78th position.
The latest rankings show how far the players from South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe have come in the Windhoek tri-series. It is a clear representation of the individual performances that saw the players make their mark on the competition.