Test Rankings Surge for Australian Bowlers, Bumrah Still Leads
Following their successful performance against New Zealand, seasoned Australian bowlers have made significant strides in the latest ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings.
Despite Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah topping the Test bowlers list, Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood (up one place to fourth) and spinner Nathan Lyon (up two spots to sixth) have narrowed the gap with their stellar performances in the initial Test of their trans-Tasman face-off against the Kiwis in Wellington.
Men’s Test Bowling Rankings
Hazlewood claimed two New Zealand wickets in each innings of the resounding 172-run victory, while Lyon bagged a total of 10 wickets, helping Australia dominate the much-anticipated match at Basin Reserve.
This performance places Australia with four players within the top 12 of the current Test bowlers rankings, with captain Pat Cummins (fifth) and left-arm bowler Mitchell Starc (12th) completing the highly-rated quartet.
Australia’s Nathan Lyon surpassed Courtney Walsh to claim the No.7 spot in the all-time Test wicket-takers list. #WTC25 | #NZvAUS pic.twitter.com/ngmioPA9z7
Matt Henry and Glenn Phillips each took five wickets in the first Test against Australia, with Henry moving up seven places to 18th and Phillips improving 19 spots to 48th on the Test bowlers list.
On the latest Test batters rankings, Australian star Cameron Green continues his rise as one of the world’s best all-rounders, reaching a new career-high rating following his Player of the Match performance against New Zealand.
Men’s Test Batting Rankings
Green scored an unbeaten 174* in the first innings and a solid 34 in the second, guiding the Aussies to victory and jumping up 22 places to reach 23rd on the updated Test batter rankings.
Despite scoring only zero and nine in Wellington, Kane Williamson remains at the top of the Test batter rankings. Meanwhile, Australian veteran Steve Smith sees his rating drop below 800 points for the first time since 2014, falling one spot to third on the list after scoring 31 and zero against the Kiwis.
Phillips (up 18 spots to 52nd) and fellow Kiwi Rachin Ravindra (up five places to 76th) made some progress on the Test batters rankings, while Phillips (up 12 places to equal 11th) also moved up the Test all-rounders list.
Men’s Test All-Rounder Rankings
Following their historic victory over Afghanistan in the one-off Test in Abu Dhabi, three Ireland players also made progress in the Test rankings. Lorcan Tucker (up 15 spots to 56th) and Andy Balbirnie (up 12 places to 87th) moved up the Test batters rankings, while pacer Mark Adair (up 30 spots to 69th) improved on the bowlers list.
The white-ball formats saw a relatively quiet week on the rankings, although two Sri Lanka stars made progress on the T20I batters list, showing promising signs ahead of June’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with strong performances in their series opener against Bangladesh.
Men’s T20I Batter Rankings
Kusal Mendis, the hard-hitting right-hander, rose four places to 30th and achieved a new career-high rating following his half-century in Sylhet. His teammate and acting captain Charith Asalanka improved seven spots to equal 33rd after scoring an unbeaten 44, including six sixes, in the same match.
Netherlands opener Michael Levitt made his debut in the T20I rankings for batters, entering in 49th place after scoring a century and two half-centuries in his first five matches in the shortest format.