For the sixth time in his illustrious career, James Anderson has achieved the pinnacle of success in the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings after his remarkable seven-wicket haul propelled England to a triumphant victory in their first Test against New Zealand.
The 40-year-old veteran bowler finished with figures of 4-18 in New Zealand’s second innings, propelling him to 682 career Test wickets and leaving him just 26 shy of second-placed Shane Warne (708 wickets) in the all-time standings, which is led by the legendary Muttiah Muralitharan’s 800 wickets.
Still going strong at 40!
England’s evergreen superstar James Anderson has climbed the summit of @MRFWorldwide ICC Men’s Test Bowlers’ Rankings
More https://t.co/5xN970tOob pic.twitter.com/OVzCsAP77d
— ICC (@ICC) February 22, 2023
Anderson has reclaimed the top spot in the Test bowling rankings from Australia’s captain Pat Cummins, who has dropped to third place behind Ravichandran Ashwin, having held the number one spot since February 2019. Anderson, who will turn 41 on July 30th, is the oldest bowler to lead the Test rankings since Australia’s Clarrie Grimmett in 1936, a remarkable feat for a bowler of his age.
Meanwhile, India’s Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have made significant strides in the latest ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings, as revealed in the list released on Wednesday. Ashwin has climbed one spot to second place, while Jadeja has rocketed seven places to break into the top 10 bowlers.
Jadeja’s rise to ninth position is particularly noteworthy, as it marks the first time he has broken into the top-10 since September 2019. His impressive 10-wicket match haul in the second Test against Australia in New Delhi propelled him to this achievement.
Injured pacer Jasprit Bumrah is the other Indian bowler in the top-10, occupying a lofty fifth spot.
Pat Cummins dethroned by Jimmy
Ravindra Jadeja back in the top 10 #ICCRankings pic.twitter.com/abrrX1fVxv
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) February 22, 2023
In the Test batsmen rankings, Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne continues to lead the way, followed by Steve Smith and Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam. India’s Rishabh Pant, who is currently sidelined due to a car accident, remains in sixth place, while skipper Rohit Sharma holds steady in seventh.
Apart from the Indian players, England batters Ollie Pope (up six places to 23rd), Harry Brook (up 12 places to 31st), and Ben Duckett (up 13 places to 38th) have achieved career-best rankings. New Zealanders Tom Blundell and Devon Conway have also made significant strides, with Blundell soaring four places to 11th after his impressive first innings knock of 138, and Conway climbing five places to 17th after his 77-run contribution.
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