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Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc is back at the top of the ICC Test bowling rankings. The left-arm pacer reclaimed the No. 1 position after an impressive performance in the recently concluded third Test against South Africa in Cape Town.
Starc played a key role in Australia’s pace attack and picked up nine wickets across the two innings. He returned figures of 6/72 in the first innings before taking another three wickets for 65 runs in the second.
His performance helped him move past South Africa’s Marco Jansen, who had taken the top spot in the previous rankings update.
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Jansen became the world’s No. 1 Test bowler last week after taking five wickets in the first innings of the second Test against Australia at St George’s Park in Gqeberha. However, he has now slipped to second place.
According to the latest ICC rankings released on Wednesday, Starc has gained one position and reached a career-best rating of 881 points.
Simon Harmer Makes Massive Jump In ICC Test Rankings
South African spinner Simon Harmer is among the biggest gainers in the latest Test bowling rankings. The off-spinner delivered a match-winning performance in Cape Town, picking up six wickets for just 16 runs in Australia’s second innings.
His impressive spell has helped him climb nine places to reach seventh position in the world rankings. Harmer now has 817 rating points, which is also the highest tally of his career.
New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry has also dropped one place in the latest update.
West Indies spinner Jomel Warrican has made progress as well. He took nine wickets across both innings of the first Test against Bangladesh and moved up six places to 30th in the rankings.
Mitchell Santner Moves Up In ODI And T20I Rankings
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner has also made gains in the limited-overs bowling rankings.
In the ODI rankings, Santner has moved up to third place, replacing Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed. Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has also climbed one spot to fifth, while India’s Kuldeep Yadav has slipped to sixth.
Santner has improved his position in the T20I bowling rankings too. His performances in the home series against India have helped him climb two places to become the world’s fifth-ranked T20I bowler.
Joe Root And Travis Head Gain In Test Batting Rankings
There have been a few changes in the ICC Test batting rankings as well. South Africa captain Temba Bavuma has dropped two places and is now fourth.
England’s Joe Root has moved up one spot to second, while Australia’s Travis Head has also gained a place to take third position.
South Africa’s Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder have made significant progress after scoring centuries in the second innings of the third Test against Australia in Cape Town.
Rickelton has jumped 25 places to reach 23rd position. Mulder, meanwhile, has gained seven spots and is now ranked 17th in the world.
Sri Lanka’s Pavan Rathnayake Enters Top 20 In ODI Rankings
Sri Lanka batter Pavan Rathnayake has been rewarded for his excellent run in the ODI tri-series in Pakistan last month.
The young batter scored more than 400 runs in five matches and was the leading run-scorer in the tournament. His performances have helped him climb 20 places to reach 16th position in the latest ICC ODI batting rankings.
It is a major rise for Rathnayake, who has made a strong impression with his performances in the 50-over format.