Dubai: Zimbabwe’s historic three-wicket win over Bangladesh in the first Test at Sylhet has rewritten parts of the ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings. Leading the charge is pace sensation Blessing Muzarabani, whose nine-wicket match haul not only earned him the Player of the Match award but also catapulted him into elite company among Test bowlers.
With a new career-best rating of 705 points, Muzarabani became only the second Zimbabwean bowler in history to breach the 700-point mark in Test cricket—a rare feat that places him firmly in the top bracket. His effort lifted him four places to 15th in the latest ICC Test bowling rankings. Only India’s Jasprit Bumrah continues to reign supreme at the top of the list.
Adding to Zimbabwe’s celebration, left-arm spinner Wellington Masakadza made a memorable return to the Test arena after more than two years. Masakadza picked up five wickets in the Sylhet Test and re-entered the Test bowling rankings in joint 68th place.
But the Sylhet Test wasn’t a one-sided affair—Bangladesh, despite the loss, saw several of their players reap rewards on the rankings table. Veteran off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who claimed 10 wickets across both innings, climbed four places to 26th among Test bowlers.
In the batting department, it was a week of steady gains for Bangladesh’s top-order performers. Mominul Haque’s composed innings of 56 and 47 helped him climb five spots to 48th on the Test batting rankings, while emerging batter Jaker Ali made a significant jump of 10 places to reach 50th after his second-innings half-century. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto also continued his consistent run, moving up four positions to 53rd following scores of 40 and 60.
Zimbabwe’s Brian Bennett, who impressed with twin half-centuries in the Sylhet Test, made his debut inside the top 100—joining in at 90th place. His temperament under pressure and ability to play long innings against quality spin and pace made him one of Zimbabwe’s standout performers
England stalwart Joe Root retains the top spot in the Test batting rankings with 895 points to his name.
(IANS)
