Toby Marshall
The ICC rankings released on Wednesday saw Premier India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin losing six rating points, but he remained the joint number one Test bowler with England’s James Anderson. This tie at the top puts Australian captain Pat Cummins, South African speedster Kagiso Rabada, and spinner Nathan Lyon within striking distance to become the top Test bowler in the world.
Ashwin took just four wickets in two innings in the third Test against Australia in Indore, which led to Australia’s first victory on Indian soil since 2017. This performance caused his ratings to drop to 859 points, tying him with Anderson. However, Cummins’ rating dropped to 849 points, but he still maintains his place in the third spot.
South African pacer Rabada improved three spots to fourth and up to 807 rating points after bagging eight wickets in their 87-run win over West Indies in the first Test at Centurion. Australian spinner Lyon made an eye-catching move inside the top 10, improving five places to ninth overall (769 rating points) following his match-winning 11-wicket haul in Indore.
In the Test batters’ rankings, Australia opener Usman Khawaja moved up two places to ninth overall. Aiden Markram, the right-handed South African batsman, climbed 21 places to secure the 33rd position in the latest Test batting rankings. Jermaine Blackwood, the middle-order West Indies batter, improved his ranking by 12 places and now sits at the 35th position in the same rankings.
In the ODI Player Rankings, there was plenty of movement following England’s series in Bangladesh. England opener Jason Roy improved five places to 12th overall on the list for batters, while his skipper Jos Buttler was up four spots to 16th, and the experienced Dawid Malan went up to 35th in the batting rankings.
Shakib Al Hasan was one of Bangladesh’s best performers in the recently concluded ODI series against England. His heroics with bat and ball in the 3rd ODI against England allowed Bangladesh to salvage some pride, in a series that ended 2-1 in England’s favour.
Shakib’s all-round exploits against England have helped him climb five spots to 27th in the ICC ODI Rankings among batters. He boasts 615 rating points and has scored 6,976 runs at a 37.71 average. The 35-year-old also climbed two spots to reach the top five in the ICC ODI Rankings for Bowlers, with 663 rating points. Shakib already tops the all-rounder’s list.
The ICC also revealed the outstanding performers nominated for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month Awards for February 2023. The ICC Men’s Player of the Month shortlist features three outstanding performers in the longest format. Harry Brook’s consistent performances in Test cricket earned him yet another nomination for the award, following his win in December. He scored explosively during England’s series in New Zealand last month.
Ravindra Jadeja has been nominated for the first time after leading India to a dominant start in their World Test Championship battle against Australia. The West Indies’ spinner Gudakesh Motie completes the list of nominees after returning stunning figures in a record-breaking bowling display during their away Test series in Zimbabwe.
In conclusion, the ICC cricket rankings have seen Ashwin and Anderson tied at the top, with Cummins, Rabada, and Lyon not too far behind. There have been significant movements in the rankings, including Shakib’s all-round exploits in the ODI series against England, which helped him climb up the ICC ODI Rankings.
James Anderson has become the oldest bowler to take the top spot in the world Test rankings after 87 years, dethroning Australian skipper Pat Cummins. At 40 years and 207 days of age, Anderson broke the record previously held by former Australian spinner Clarrie Grimmett, who was one of the finest spinners of his time.
On June 27, the BCCI and ICC made a joint announcement regarding the schedule for the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 in Mumbai. This highly anticipated event is set to commence on October 5 and culminate with the final match on November 19.
