New Delhi, 26 August (H.S.):

Australia’s pace spearhead Mitchell Starc has claimed the No. 1 spot in the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings for the first time in his career. Starc moved ahead of India’s Jasprit Bumrah after taking 10 wickets in the second Test against Bangladesh in Mackay.

Starc claimed six wickets in the first innings and four in the second as Australia secured a comprehensive innings-and-51-run victory in the second Test. He was named Player of the Match as well as Player of the Series. Starc now holds a 10-point lead over Bumrah in the rankings.

Bumrah’s latest stint at the top lasted two months. However, he has spent a total of 697 days at No. 1 in the Test bowling rankings, the longest period for any Indian bowler and the 14th-longest reign in the history of world cricket.

England’s Ollie Robinson also climbed the rankings following an impressive performance. After taking eight wickets in the Leeds Test against Pakistan, Robinson surged 15 places to reach 11th position. Josh Tong also made significant progress, rising 16 places to 17th.

India’s left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, who claimed 10 wickets in the first Test against Sri Lanka, jumped 28 places to a career-best 48th position. Sri Lanka’s Asitha Fernando and Prabath Jayasuriya also moved up to 15th and 16th respectively.

Australia’s Nathan Lyon is now ranked 10th, Pakistan’s Ali Usman 67th, England’s Jofra Archer jointly 38th, India’s Prasidh Krishna 53rd and Bangladesh’s Shoriful Islam 57th.

Brook Strengthens Lead at Top

In the Test batting rankings, England’s Harry Brook has strengthened his hold on the No. 1 position. Brook now leads second-placed Joe Root by 24 rating points. Brook scored 90 against Pakistan, while Root contributed 66.

India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has returned to the top 10 after a year. Following scores of 39 and 66 against Sri Lanka, Pant climbed six places to seventh.

Australia’s Cameron Green moved to 21st, Sri Lanka’s Dhananjaya de Silva to 22nd, while Sonal Dinusha made a remarkable 49-place jump to reach 54th. Pakistan’s Abdullah Shafique is jointly ranked 27th, India’s KL Rahul is 30th and Devdutt Padikkal is 59th.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar