Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: India’s star pacer Jasprit Bumrah remains at the top of the ICC Men’s Test bowler rankings, but the latest update has brought some movement among Indian players and increased competition. Fellow India quick Mohammed Siraj made a strong return to the ODI rankings, re-entering at 17th position after his first appearance in over a year, following an impressive outing in the recent ODI series against Australia. Meanwhile, Bumrah’s lead at the top of the Test rankings has been reduced to just 29 points by Pakistan’s Noman Ali, who achieved a new career-high rating after his standout performances in Lahore.
Noman’s 10-wicket performance in Pakistan’s 93-run victory over South Africa lifted him four places to second overall, with a total of 853 rating points. His teammate Shaheen Afridi also rose three spots to 19th after taking four wickets in the second innings of the same Test. Among Pakistan’s batters, Mohammad Rizwan moved up four places to 16th, Babar Azam gained two to 22nd, and Salman Agha jumped eight positions to 30th. The Test batting charts, however, continue to be led by England’s Joe Root.
In the South African camp, Ryan Rickelton’s first-innings score of 71 in the first Test against Pakistan earned him a maiden entry into the top 50, while Tony de Zorzi’s century propelled him to 54th. Elsewhere, several Australian and English players were rewarded for standout performances in white-ball cricket. In Perth, Australia’s stand-in captain Mitchell Marsh moved up two places to 42nd in the ODI batting rankings after his Player of the Match performance against India.