Dubai: South African pacer Kagiso Rabada reclaimed the top spot in the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings after a standout performance in the first match of their ICC World Test Championship (WTC) series against Bangladesh in Mirpur.
Rabada’s nine-wicket haul, across both innings, was instrumental in South Africa’s seven-wicket victory. The 29-year-old also achieved the milestone of becoming the fastest South African to reach 300 Test wickets on the first day of the Test.
Rabada had previously held the top ranking in January 2018 after a stellar series against India at Newlands, where he remained the world’s number-one Test bowler for much of the year.
Alongside Rabada, other bowlers have made considerable strides in the latest ICC rankings. Pakistan’s left-arm spinner Noman Ali has entered the top 10 for the first time in his career, rising eight slots to ninth place following his impressive nine-wicket haul, across both innings in the third Test, in Rawalpindi.
This performance helped Pakistan secure a nine-wicket victory over England, clinching the WTC series 2-1.
New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner also enjoyed a major boost, moving up 30 spots to 44th after taking a remarkable 13 wickets for 157 runs in Pune against India. His performance ranks as the third-best by a New Zealander in Tests, following legends Richard Hadlee and Ajaz Patel.
With his form, Santner is eyeing his career-best ranking of 39th, achieved back in January 2017.
Bangladesh’s Taijul Islam, who is up three places to 18th. England’s Gus Atkinson has risen two spots to 22nd, Pakistan’s Sajid Khan has moved up 12 slots to 38th, and South Africa’s Wiaan Mulder, who has advanced nine places to reach the top 50.
On the batting front, India’s opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has climbed back to the third spot after scoring 30 and 77 in recent innings. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Saud Shakeel and New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra have broken into the top 10 for the first time.
Shakeel’s knock of 134 earned him the Player of the Match award, lifting him up 20 slots to the seventh position. Ravindra, who contributed with a valuable half-century in Pune, moved up eight places to secure the 10th position.
New Zealand’s Devon Conway, moved up eight spots to 28th, Tom Latham climbed six spots to 34th, Glenn Phillips, leaping 16 places to 45th.
England’s Jamie Smith, up seven places to 37th and Pakistan captain Shan Masood, rose five slots to 57th, and Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hasan Miraz, up nine places to 63rd.
Mehidy’s recent performances have also boosted his ranking in the all-rounders’ category, where he now sits in third place. India’s Washington Sundar, after a recent return to the game, has re-entered the rankings in 53rd among bowlers, 84th among batters, and 25th among all-rounders.
Following these performances, the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) table sees New Zealand sitting in fourth position with 50 percentage points. New Zealand’s standing has potential for improvement, with one match remaining in the series against India and three home Tests against England on the horizon, which could see them push their percentage points up to 64.29.
India, meanwhile, leads the WTC table with 62.82 percentage points but faces a significant challenge ahead, with an away five-match series against Australia.
Australia, currently in second place, trails India closely and is poised to take advantage should India falter. Sri Lanka remains in third, solidifying their position as a dark horse in the WTC competition.
(IANS)
