Only Michael Clarke features for Australia in the ICC's rankings of the worlds Top 30 batsmen Michael Clarke is now the only Australian batsman in the ICC's Top 30. AUSTRALIA's batting crisis has become so acute they have just one player in the International Cricket Council's top 30 Test batsmen - as many as cricket minnows Bangladesh. Exactly five years ago, such was Australia's dominance, four players - Michael Hussey (2nd), Ricky Ponting (3rd), Matt Hayden (6th) and Michael Clarke (11th) - featured in the ICC's top-11 ranked Test batsmen. But in the wake of their second-Test thrashing by India, Australia have been left with one just batsman, Clarke, in the top 30 Test rankings released yesterday by the ICC. Australia's worryingly poor rankings performance is matched only by whipping boys Bangladesh, whose sole representative in the top 30 is allrounder Shakib Al Hasan at No. And in the ultimate indictment on Australia's batting efforts, every other Test playing nation has at least two players in the top 30. Sri Lanka has five batsmen, South Africa, India, Pakistan and the West Indies each have four, while even embattled New Zealand has two (Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum) on the list. Perhaps most alarming of all, Australia's upcoming Ashes foes England have five batsmen in the top 17 _ Alastair Cook (6th), Kevin Pietersen (8th), Ian Trott (13th), Matt Prior (15th) and Ian Bell (17th). The rankings not only illustrate how dominant Clarke has become individually, but also the extent to which the captain has had to carry Australia's misfiring batting line-up. In the opening two Tests against India, Australia's top four of Ed Cowan, David Warner, Phil Hughes and Shane Watson have posted just one half-century from 16 collective innings. To help rectify the problem, Clarke will move up the order, but the ICC rankings vindicate the captain's challenge for his batting cohorts to stop the rot in the third Test in Mohali. "There will be times over the next few days where we will be spoken to as a batting unit and I will be part of the conversation," Clarke said. We need our top six batters to be scoring runs. It can't be about one person. I've never played cricket that way and I don't want to this team to go to that. I spoke to the guys more individually at training leading up to the (second) Test. I don't think me being angry is going to help. I am responsible as well, but it is unacceptable the way we have batted. Following Australia's back-to-back drubbings, Warner has dropped out of the top 30, sliding from No. Underfire Shane Watson has fallen two places to No. 38, below Bangladesh's Tamim Iqbal (33), while Cowan (44) and Matt Wade (52) are well down the list. Meanwhile, embattled Phil Hughes, who is averaging 6.25 in this series, has plummeted 11 places to No. Clarke said the Indians had taught Australia's batsmen some harsh lessons on the importance of patience and batting tempo at Test level. "Discipline in your plan is crucial," he said. India have had the discipline and the patience to bat long periods of time. At the moment, our shot selection has been horrible. We had no excuse to make 237 in our first innings. We have enough talent, but we have to get better, every single one of us. 2 Michael Clarke (890) 31 David Warner (596) 38 Shane Watson (527) 44 Ed Cowan (495) 52 Matt Wade (458) 55 Phil Hughes (442) 2 Mike Hussey (912) 3 Ricky Ponting (899) 6 Matt Hayden (860) 11 Michael Clarke (744) 20 Andrew Symonds (656)