ICC Rankings: Top 10 modern batsman who achieved a rating above 900

It is a lifetime dream of every cricketer to perform the best and to top the ICC rankings to prove his worth. ICC rankings define the metric of points which describe the performances of that cricketer in every format of the game.

In earlier days, the ICC considered only the performances in Test format in the rankings but this system was changed in the year 1998 as from that year, ICC introduced separate rankings for ODI format. However, currently, all the formats of the game are taken into consideration while formulating the ICC player rankings.

The maximum rating which can be addressed to a cricketer is 1000. So far, not even a single cricketer has achieved the maximum rating in terms of ICC rankings. The maximum rating achieved by a batsman so far is 961. The legendary cricketer, Sir Don Bradman from Australia achieved this feat in the year 1948.

However, there are also such batsmen who have earned over 900 points in ICC rankings which refers to the legendary class of those cricketers. Such top 10 modern day batsmen who have achieved over 900 points in ICC rankings are as follows.

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#10 Michael Clarke (Points-900, 2012)

Michael Clarke raises his bat during the World Cup 2015

Michael Clarke always remained in the limelight during his career because of his high-class batting with great captaincy skills. Clarke remained as the main pillar for Australia during his golden career which lasted from 2003 to 2015. He announced his retirement after the final match of the 2015 World Cup between Australia and New Zealand.

Clarke retired with a total of more than 16,000 international runs to his name along with 88 wickets. Clarke proved his worth in the year 2012 where he achieved a total of 900 points in ICC rankings, which is not everyone’s cup of tea.

#9 Kevin Pietersen (Points-909, 2007)

Kevin was a better test player as compared to ODIs for England.

Kevin Pietersen debuted into the world of cricket in the year 2004 during an ODI match between England and Zimbabwe. Pietersen was born in South Africa but decided to play international cricket for England. He proved his worth in a better way in Test cricket as compared to ODIs.

KP ended his career in the year 2014 with 8,181 test runs. He once achieved a score of 909 points in the ICC ODI rankings. KP achieved this rating in the year 2007 referring to his stupendous performances in Test matches in that year.

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#8 Kane Williamson (Points-915, 2018)

Williamson achieved a rating of 915 points in the year 2018

Kane Williamson has been playing the role of the exemplary leader in New Zealand’s cricket field. After the retirement of Brendon McCullum, Williamson is the only cricketer who has performed consistently for the New Zealand side. Kane is currently the most experienced player in the Kiwi’s side along with Ross Taylor.

The year 2018 was a golden year for Kane Williamson as he achieved the figure of 915 points in ICC rankings. He is the only New Zealander to achieve more than 900 points in ICC player rankings as no other cricketer from his nation has achieved this feat so far.

#7 Joe Root (Points-917, 2015)

Joe Root is such a player who fits in all formats of the game.

Joe Root is a player from England who knows how to change the game according to the format. He is such a player who can be fit in all the formats of the game according to his playing style along with the captaincy skills. He is currently, the best batsman in the entire England squad and also lies in the list of top 5 batsmen in the world right now.

Root made an entry into the cricketing field in the year 2012 where he played his first international test match against India. Root did not take long to prove why he is one of the best batsmen in the world. Joe achieved a rating of 917 points in the ICC Test rankings in 2015. This is the 3rd highest rating achieved by an English cricketer in the history of cricket.

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#6 AB De Villiers (Points-935, 2014)

AB De Villiers announced his sudden retirement from all formats of the game in the year 2018.

South Africa has been lucky to have a player like AB de Villiers in their side for a total of 14 years. De Villiers is such a cricketer who can turn the game single-handedly regardless of the situation and the support on the other end.

He was mainly known in the world of cricket for his unique and strange stroke selection. He used to play shots all around the ground. AB proved why he was the best in his era by achieving the rating of 935 points in the ICC player rankings which is impossible for an ordinary cricketer.

#5 Matthew Hayden (Points-935, 2002)

Matthew Hayden brought the concept of Mongoose bat in the world of cricket.

Matthew Hayden is the former Australian cricketer who was mostly known for his aggressive nature of batting. Hayden was a player who could smash each and every bowl for a boundary regardless of its line and length. He used to open the innings for Australia creating fear in the minds of bowlers bowling to him.

Hayden was also known as a trendsetter in the world of cricket as he brought the trend of Mongoose bat to the cricketing world. He was also a world-class player who played fearlessly in all forms of the game. Pertaining to these reasons, he achieved a rating of 935 points in the ICC player rankings.

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#4 Virat Kohli (Points-937, 2018)

Currently, Virat Kohli is one of the best cricketers in the world. Virat has been in his peak form in recent years conquering the bowling attacks of all the mighty nations of the world. His never-ending hunger for runs is the main thing which keeps him going each and every time. By far, no other cricketer around the globe can beat Kohli right now.

Virat has the talent to change his playing style as per the format of the game which can be proved by the ICC player rankings. Currently, he has his highest rating of 937 points in ICC rankings which is the highest for any Indian cricketer. Kohli achieved this feat in his golden year 2018.

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#3 Kumar Sangakkara (Points-938, 2007)

Kumar Sangakkara had the highest ICC rating for a Sri Lankan cricketer

Kumar Sangakkara holds the record of the highest ever ICC rating achieved by a Sri Lankan cricketer so far. Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene were the 2 main cricketers who hold the credit of bringing the Sri Lankan cricket to the level it has reached today.

Nicknamed Sanga, he played the central role in building the Sri Lankan side during his cricketing career. He achieved the rating of 938 points addressed by the ICC in the year 2007.

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#2 Ricky Ponting (Points-942, 2006)

Ricky Ponting was the best captain in the history of Australian cricket.

Ricky Ponting is a former Australian cricketer who holds the record of the third highest ICC rating achieved among the Australian cricketers. His calmness was his main strength which helped him to take the most powerful decisions in the toughest of situations.

Referring to the ICC rankings, Ricky Ponting achieved a total of 942 points in ICC player rankings in the year 2006 which is the third best by an Australian batsman in the history of Test rankings.

#1 Steve Smith (Points-947, 2017)

Steve Smith is currently the best cricketer in the world after Virat Kohli.

Steve Smith can easily be labeled as the best active Australian cricketer. Smith made his entry into the world of cricket in the year 2010 and after that, he has never looked back. He made his debut during the Australia vs West Indies ODI series on 19 February 2010.

Smith had a very bright cricketing career until 2017. But the year 2018 made a drastic change in his career because of his involvement in the infamous ball-tampering controversy. This controversy changed his whole reputation in the world as he was banned for one year from international and Australian domestic cricket. However, Smith has had a very shining career and is going to return to international cricket in the year 2019.

He proved why he is the best cricketer around the world by achieving the rating of 947 points addressed by ICC in the year 2017. This is the best rating in the world ever achieved by a batsman after Sir Donald Bradman's tally of 962.