South Africa batter Connor Esterhuizen has taken centre stage in the latest ICC Men's T20I Player Rankings, registering the second-highest rating points by a player from his country after five matches, following the series win in New Zealand.
The 24-year-old has climbed to 551 rating points, second only to former captain Graeme Smith's tally of 617 after five matches, with Temba Bavuma 540 and Aiden Markram 530 among the others on the list.
Esterhuizen has surged 64 places to 39th after a productive debut series featuring scores of 45 not out, eight and 15, followed by match-winning knocks of 57 and 75 that earned him two Player of the Match awards. His aggregate of 200 runs also secured the Player of the Series honour, as South Africa sealed a 3-2 series victory.
