The latest MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings see a number of Pakistani and Indian cricketers reaching new career highs as the competition for bragging rights and the No. 1 ranking heats up.
When Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka in Galle by four wickets, they made a strong start to the new ICC World Test Championship cycle. Player of the Match Saud Shakeel stood out with a stunning double century in only his sixth Test outing. In the most recent rankings for Test bats, which are still led by New Zealand veteran Kane Williamson, left-hander Shakeel rose 12 ranks to 15th and achieved a new career-best rating. A number of his Pakistani teammates also achieved personal bests. Agha Salman, a versatile player, rose 17 ranks to 58th place overall among batsmen, and rookie seamer Naseem Shah and inexperienced spinner Abrar Ahmed, who both bowled well against Sri Lanka, both reached new highs on the list of Test bowlers.
Following his team’s draw in the second Test against the West Indies in Trinidad, in-form Indian seamer Mohammed Siraj emerged as the big winner. The right-armer increased to a new career-high rating while moving up six spots to 33rd overall on the list for bowlers.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, the Indian opener, also claimed a new career-high of 63 on the list of batters after he moved up 10 places thanks to scores of 57 and 38 in just his second Test appearance. Siraj picked up a five-wicket haul during the West Indies first innings of that match.
With Williamson still leading the pack despite some of his closest rivals making some eye-catching gains after the fourth Ashes Test in Manchester, Jaiswal does still have some work to do to catch up to the top-ranked batsmen in the world.
Following his century at Old Trafford, Australian right-hander and former No. 1 hitter Marnus Labuschagne climbed three spots to finish in second place overall. Joe Root of England, Harry Brook of England, and Zak Crawley of England all made significant gains as well.
From an Ashes perspective, the two biggest movers on the list of Test bowlers were England’s Mark Wood (up three spots to 23rd) and Chris Woakes (up five spots to 31st), with India’s Ravichandran Ashwin continuing to hold a significant lead over South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada (second) and Australia’s captain Pat Cummins (third).
