For the first time in nine years, New Zealand have a batsman among the top eight in the world rankings. Mark Richardson, despite not having played in a Test since May, finds himself in eighth position on the PriceWaterhouseCoopers rankings. It is the highest by a New Zealander since Martin Crowe reached No. 3 in Sri Lanka in 1992 and then slipped to seventh in 1994.Consistency is the key to improving in the rankings and Richardson has certainly been that. Given that New Zealand have managed a higher degree than usual in their winning consistency, it is interesting to note how few of the modern players would find a place among the top players in the all-time pantheon. Measuring a player’s contribution against those from other eras is always a debating point.However, applying the statistical reality of the PriceWaterhouseCoopers rankings which were developed in 1987, but were also applied retrospectively to cover earlier eras, it is possible to make some interesting comparisons. They don’t make good reading for many of the modern era’s players.It is worth remembering when applying the PwC formula, that players may have achieved higher numerical ratings than at the time they achieved their best ranking, but they were affected by activities of other players elsewhere in the cricket world. So the best rankings applied here are the basis for comparison which means they do not account for higher placings achieved as the result of other players dropping down the list.Apart from Richardson among batsmen still playing, Craig McMillan is the only other player to have reached the top 10 with his best ranking at No. 9, in 2000 against Zimbabwe.Best ranking achieved by current New Zealand batsmen:
Player Rank Rating Match achieved in————————————————————————–Mark Richardson 8th 767 v Sri Lanka Kandy 03/05/2003Craig McMillan 9th 705 v Zimbabwe Bulawayo 12/09/2000Chris Cairns 12th 703 v Zimbabwe Harare 19/09/2000Stephen Fleming 13th 681 v England Auckland 24/01/1997Nathan Astle 17th 693 v England Christchurch 13/03/2002Mathew Sinclair 21st 649 v Pakistan Christchurch 15/03/2001Matt Horne 25th 593 v England Lord’s 22/07/1999Lou Vincent 55th 440 v Australia Perth 30/11/2001Scott Styris 62nd 411 v West Indies St George’s 28/06/2002Daniel Vettori 76th 295 v Zimbabwe Bulawayo 12/09/2000Jacob Oram 78th 286 v Sri Lanka Kandy 03/05/2003
Given Stephen Fleming’s recent run of form, and his highest score of 274 not out against Sri Lanka this year, it is interesting that it was his maiden Test century, against England in 1997 that gave him his highest ranking.It is similarly interesting that while Nathan Astle could score the world’s fastest double century, off balls faced, it was only sufficient to give him his best ranking to date of 17th.But, when comparing batsmen through the ages, there are no real surprises among the names at the top of New Zealand’s batting order. John F Reid may raise an eyebrow with his third placing, but during the peak time of his career he was remarkably consistent. Similarly, Geoff Howarth’s achievement in reaching fifth in the world, again during the period when he was at his most consistent.Glenn Turner’s feat in being the only New Zealander to reach No. 1 occurred after his century in each innings in the first Test victory over Australia in Christchurch in 1974. He leapt from 8th to 1st to head off Garry Sobers, Greg Chappell, Dennis Amiss, Ian Chappell, Mushtaq Mohammad, Alvin Kallicharran and Rohan Kanhai. Turner later reached a rating of 843, the best by a New Zealander, and held the No. 1 position for nearly a year.New Zealand Test batsmen to be ranked in the top 10:
Player Rank Rating Match achieved in————————————————————————–Glenn Turner 1st 801 v Australia Christchurch 08/03/1974John F Reid 3rd 746 v Pakistan Auckland 25/01/1985Martin Crowe 3rd 743 v Zimbabwe Harare 07/11/1992Geoff Howarth 5th 752 v West Indies Christchurch 22/02/1980Bert Sutcliffe 6th 754 v England Auckland 25/03/1955John R Reid 6th 741 v England Christchurch 15/03/1963Jeremy Coney 6th 691 v West Indies Bridgetown 26/04/1985John Wright 7th 706 v Australia Wellington 15/03/1990Bevan Congdon 8th 679 v England Lord’s 21/06/1973Bruce Edgar 8th 722 v England Nottingham 25/08/1983Mark Richardson 8th 767 v Sri Lanka Kandy 03/05/2003Andrew Jones 9th 667 v Zimbabwe Bulawayo 01/11/1992Craig McMillan 9th 705 v Zimbabwe Bulawayo 12/09/2000Graham Dowling 10th 678 v India Hyderabad 15/10/1969Mark Burgess 10th 636 v West Indies Port of Spain 09/03/1972
For most pundits, however, those to have achieved top 10 rankings would be among the reckoning for the best New Zealand team of all time.In one-day batting, Turner is again top of the list for having achieved a No. 1 ranking during the 1979 World Cup. Crowe was regarded as No. 1 for six weeks early in 1993, but that was by default as the No. 1 batsman Dean Jones suffered a slump in form. It is of interest to note that despite the fact that Bruce Edgar was labelled a non-one-day specialist, especially in the latter stages of his international career, he still achieved a No. 7 best ranking.New Zealand ODI batsmen to be ranked in the top 10:
Glenn Turner 1stMartin Crowe 2ndNathan Astle 3rdRoger Twose 3rdAndrew Jones 4thJohn Wright 5thBevan Congdon 6thKen Wadsworth 7thBruce Edgar 7th
Best rankings for other current New Zealand ODI batsmen:
Stephen Fleming 15thCraig McMillan 17thChris Cairns 21stChris Harris 28thLou Vincent 49th
The bowling rankings similarly reflect the dominance of earlier eras, with Richard Hadlee 88 rating points ahead of his nearest rival in Simon Doull, whose highest ranking was 6th. Doull’s situation is an example of the differing standards in eras, which are even better demonstrated by the fact that Jack Cowie could achieve a No. 1 ranking with a rating as low as 653, achieved against England in Christchurch in 1947.From the time he first achieved the No 1 position against Sri Lanka in 1984, Hadlee only lost a hold of it during four brief periods until his retirement in 1990, at which time he had regained the No. 1 position. Malcolm Marshall, the West Indian fast bowler, was the player concerned on each occasion. Cowie held No. 1 from March 1947 until December of the same year when Ernie Toshack, the Australian supplanted him.New Zealand Test bowlers to be ranked in the top 10:
Player Rank Rating Match achieved in————————————————————————–Richard Hadlee 1st 877 v Sri Lanka Kandy 09/03/1984Jack Cowie 1st 653 v England Christchurch 21/03/1947Bruce Taylor 2nd 777 v West Indies Port of Spain 20/04/1972Richard Collinge 4th 700 v Australia Auckland 22/03/1974Ewen Chatfield 4th 647 v Sri Lanka Colombo (CCC) 16/04/1987Simon Doull 6th 789 v India Wellington 26/12/1998Dick Motz 8th 645 v West Indies Christchurch 13/03/1969Lance Cairns 8th 656 v Pakistan Auckland 25/01/1985Chris Cairns 8th 677 v Australia Brisbane 08/11/2001Hedley Howarth 9th 588 v England Christchurch 25/02/1971Stephen Boock 9th 620 v Pakistan Wellington 18/01/1985Dion Nash 9th 729 v West Indies Wellington 26/12/1999John Bracewell 10th 571 v England Nottingham 07/08/1986
Best rankings for other current New Zealand Test bowlers:
Daryl Tuffey 12thShane Bond 15thDaniel Vettori 16thJacob Oram 32ndPaul Wiseman 42nd
In the ODI list, Hadlee’s tenure was not quite so long, the first occasion being from February 5, 1983 until January 6, 1985 when Joel Garner, the West Indian, took over. He had two later one-game stints as No. 1, both matches being played at Dunedin. The first against the West Indies in 1987 and the second, the Test replacement match against Pakistan, in 1989.Ewen Chatfield’s time as No. 1 was for three days, occurring during the 1987 World Cup when he supplanted Marshall, before Marshall took it back.New Zealand ODI bowlers to be ranked in the top 10:
Richard Hadlee 1stEwen Chatfield 1stRichard Collinge 3rdGavin Larsen 4thLance Cairns 5thChris Pringle 6thHedley Howarth 7thChris Harris 7thShane Bond 7thBevan Congdon 8thMartin Snedden 8thWillie Watson 8thBrian McKechnie 9th
Best rankings for other current New Zealand ODI bowlers:
Daryl Tuffey 11thChris Cairns 14thDaniel Vettori 14thJacob Oram 14thAndre Adams 24thNathan Astle 25thScott Styris 26thKyle Mills 58th
