Australia’s Mitchell Starc has become the new No1 bowler in the ICC Men’s Test Rankings after a match-winning ten-wicket haul against Bangladesh in Mackay.
The 36-year-old left-arm pacer climbed to the summit after taking six wickets for 12 runs in the first innings and four for 39 in the second, helping Australia secure an innings-and-51-run victory in the second Test of their ICC World Test Championship series.
Starc, who was named Player of the Match as well as Player of the Series, now leads New Zealand’s Matt Henry and India’s Jasprit Bumrah by ten rating points.
It is the first time Starc has occupied the top position in the Test bowling rankings. His previous best was second, a position he first achieved following last year’s Boxing Day Test.
Bumrah’s latest stint at No 1 lasted only two months, although the Indian pacer has spent a combined 697 days at the summit, the most by an Indian bowler and the 14th-most in Test history.
England’s Ollie Robinson was another major mover in the latest rankings. His figures of five for 51 and three for 39 against Pakistan in Leeds helped England register an innings-and-103-run victory and earned Robinson the Player of the Match award.
Robinson climbed 15 places to 11th, while fellow England pacer Josh Tongue rose 16 spots to 17th after claiming eight wickets at Headingley.
India’s Manav Suthar made one of the biggest jumps, rising 28 places to a career-best 48th following a 10-wicket haul in India’s 165-run victory over Sri Lanka in Galle.
Sri Lanka’s Asitha Fernando and Prabath Jayasuriya also advanced, moving five places to 15th and 16th respectively.
Among other notable gains, Australia spinner Nathan Lyon moved two places to 10th, while Pakistan’s Ali Usman climbed 30 places to 67th.
England’s Jofra Archer rose six places to joint-38th, India’s Prasidh Krishna moved two places to 53rd and Bangladesh’s Shoriful Islam jumped 17 places to 57th.
England’s Harry Brook has further consolidated his position at the top of the Test batting rankings, doubling his lead over teammate Joe Root to 24 rating points.
Brook scored 90 in the Leeds Test, while Root contributed 66, allowing the England duo to retain the top two positions.
India wicket-keeper-batter Rishabh Pant returned to the top ten for the first time in a year after scores of 39 and 66. He climbed six places to seventh.
Australia’s Cameron Green was another significant mover, rising nine places to 21st, while Sri Lanka’s Dhananjaya de Silva moved two places to 22nd.
Pakistan batter Abdullah Shafique climbed seven places to joint-27th, while India’s KL Rahul advanced five places to 30th.
Sri Lanka’s Sonal Dinusha made one of the biggest gains in the batting rankings, jumping 49 places to 54th. India’s Devdutt Padikkal also re-entered the rankings at 59th.
