The New Zealand cricket coach Mike Hesson says the Black Caps ascent to the summit of the International Cricket Council's Twenty20 rankings is welcomed news.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson at the World Twenty20 tournament in India. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
In the ICC's latest rankings the Black Caps have risen two places to number one, shading India, while they remain in second place on the One Day International rankings, and fifth in Tests.
It's the first time the BLACKCAPS have been ranked number one in the world in any of the three formats.
"We're delighted with the recognition," said Hesson. "It's a fair reflection, I think, of the way our guys have put the bigger picture ahead of themselves, and the good of the team always comes first.
"So many different players have stood up at so many different times - it speaks volumes of the depth we're creating, and also the standard of our domestic competitions."
The Black Caps coach said, as pleased as his players would be with the latest rankings, the culture of improvement within all the squads would remain.
"We enjoy the milestones, don't worry about that," he said. "But they come along as a result of consistently good performances - and that's something we need to continue."
Near the end of 2012, the BLACKCAPS were ranked 8th in Tests, 9th in ODIs and 8th in T20s.
Under the terms of the ICC's annual ranking adjustment, results from 2012-13 have been dropped, while results from 2014-15 have been reduced to a weighting of 50 per cent.
T20 rankings....
Rank* Team Points*
1(+2) New Zealand 132(+12)
2(-1) India 132(+6)
3(-1) West Indies 122(-3)
4(+1) South Africa 119(+4)
5(-1) England 114(-1)
6(-) Australia 110(-2)
7(-) Pakistan 104(-3)
8(-) Sri Lanka 98(-7)
9(-) Afghanistan 78(-3)
10(-) Bangladesh 74(-)
11(+1) Netherlands 67(+8)
12(+1) Zimbabwe 58(+1)
13(-2) Scotland 57(-2)
14(+1) UAE 54(+11)
15(+1) Ireland 48(+9)
16(+1) Oman 37(-)
17(-3) Hong Kong 29(-15)
ODI Rankings....
Rank* Team Points*
1(-) Australia 124(-2)
2(-) New Zealand 113(-1)
3(+1) South Africa 112(-)
4(-1) India 109(-4)
5(-) Sri Lanka 104(-)
6(-) England 103(+2)
7(-) Bangladesh 98(+1)
8(+1) West Indies 88(+2)
9(-1) Pakistan 87(-)
10(-) Afghanistan 51(+4)
11(+1) Zimbabwe 47(+2)
12(-1) Ireland 42(-4)
-ICC & BlackCaps
