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Dunedin - Lonwabo Tsotsobe’s performance in the National Bank ODI Series against New Zealand has spearheaded him into No. 1 on the Reliance Mobile ODI Bowling Rankings.
Tsotsobe was in second position behind Saeed Ajmal from Pakistan at the beginning of the series, with his six wickets propelling him to the top spot and also his highest career ranking.
An ecstatic Tsotsobe said: “I am not one for numbers but I do put in a lot of hard work and it is always special when you receive the recognition. I think I have been bowling some of the best spells of my career over the past five months and I hope that I can continue with that form. The most important aspect of my bowling is that I am contributing to the team’s success and that is always something you strive for as a cricketer.”
His performances for the Proteas’ ODI side during the home series against Australia and Sri Lanka helped him break into the top 10, and he also became the fastest South African player to take 50 limited-overs wickets, in only 27 appearances for the national side.
Proteas’ ODI captain, AB de Villiers is pleased that Tsotsobe’s hard work is receiving the recognition it deserves.
“Lopsy has been working very hard on his game, he deserves all of the credit that comes his way. He has been a vital asset for the bowling attack during the summer and has been a consistent threat to the opposition's batsmen. He has matured a lot as a bowler and has executed his skills and game-plans really well,” de Villiers said.
Morne Morkel was the most successful bowler in the series, taking seven wickets including his career-best figures of five for 38 in the second ODI in Napier.
His achievements have helped him leapfrog England’s Graeme Swann in third position while Dale Steyn has moved up three places to 13th position.
JP Duminy gained two places and moves to 21st on the batting ODI rankings, while Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers continue to respectively occupy first and second position after they ended the series as the Proteas' leading batsmen, Amla amassing 176 runs and de Villiers 146 runs.
The Proteas’ 3-nil series win moves them into second place, and they are only one rating point ahead of third-placed India. Australia look set to retain the prestigious the ODI Shield, and the only way they can slip behind the second-ranked Proteas is in the highly unlikely scenario of them losing all the five ODIs against the West Indies.
