Cricket: NZ rise in ranks after test double

Trent Boult is now rated sixth-best in the world. Photo / Getty Images

Whether you treat international cricket's ratings as gospel or gobbledegook, they make fine reading for New Zealand.

Yesterday's updated list shows jumps to No6 in the batting and bowling lists for Kane Williamson and Trent Boult respectively, on the back of strong performances in the second-test win over Sri Lanka in Wellington last week.

Capping that off, New Zealand, as expected have had their step up to No5 in test team standings confirmed.

In the space of back-to-back wins over the Sri Lankans - combined with India getting beaten by Australia in their ill-tempered rubber - New Zealand have jumped two places.

A shame, then, that they won't don the whites again until May in England.

However, with the World Cup occupying the international stage for the next couple of months, there won't be much room for movement for anyone until April anyway.

The West Indies are due to host third-placed England before New Zealand visit Lord's and Leeds, while fourth-ranked Pakistan visit Bangladesh.

So it is conceivable the table will look much as it does now, meaning a strong New Zealand performance in England would at least close the five-point gap to England.

However, pegging back South Africa and Australia will take some time. New Zealand's eagerly awaited away and home - in that order - three-test series at the end of this year, and early next, against the Aussies looks to be loaded with potential significance.

Williamson's 396 runs in the two tests against Sri Lanka at a Bradman-plus average of 198, helped him leap from 13th to sixth; Boult is up one spot on the back of his 11 wickets in the two tests.

One sleeper mover is New Zealand wicketkeeper BJ Watling, who has risen 11 places to No38 on the batting list after his Basin Reserve century.

New Zealand, South Africa, England and Australia have two bowlers each in the top 10; South Africa, Australia and Sri Lanka are mob-handed among the batsmen.

The allrounders are unchanged, headed by Bangladesh's Shakib al Hasan.