Jasprit Bumrah remains top of the International Crickert Council’s (ICC) rankings for bowlers in men’s Test cricket. South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada sits second after which his teammate Marco Jansen, Pakistan’s Noman Ali and New Zealand’s Matt Henry are the only non-Australian names in the top 10. The 2023 WTC Champions’ full compliment of bowling regulars have taken up five places in the top 10, a first since England had six bowlers in the top 12 in 1958.
Fast bowlers Scott Boland made a significant jump, rising six spots to a career-best sixth place. The other Australians who are in the top 10 are captain Pat Cummins (3rd), Josh Hazlewood (4th), Nathan Lyon (8th) and Mitchell Starc (10th), whose devastating spell of 6/9 in his 100th Test helped his side bundle the West Indies out for a scarcely believable 27 runs on Monday.
Joe Root the oldest No.1 batter in a decade
England great Joe Root has jumped back up to the top spot of the batsmen’s ranking. Root’s scores of 104 and 40 in the third Test of the five-match series against India at Lord’s that England won by 22 runs helped him start his eighth stint at the top. At 34, he is the oldest No. 1 Test batter since Kumar Sangakkara in December 2014, when the Sri Lankan was 37. Root had lost his top spot to compatriot Harry Brook, who has slipped behind Kane Williamson to third position.
Among Indians, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and vice-captain Rishabh Pant have dropped down and are currently placed fifth and eighth respectively. Captain Shubman Gill has also fallen three places to ninth. Ravindra Jadeja’s 72 and a dogged 61 not out at Lord’s has resulted in him jumping five players to 34 in the batsmen’s rankings while Jaiswal’s opening partner KL Rahul has climbed five places and now sits one spot behind Jadeja on 35th. England captain Ben Stokes’ player of the match effort of 77 runs and five wickets at the Lord’s have lifted him two places to 42nd among batters and one spot to 45th among bowlers.
