Starc returns to top of Test bowling rankings, Iyer climbs to seventh in T20Is

Mitchell Starc reclaimed the top spot in the ICC Test bowling rankings after taking nine wickets against South Africa. India's Shreyas Iyer climbed two places to seventh in T20I batting rankings following the team's series triumph in New Zealand

Dubai: Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc reclaimed the top spot in the ICC Test Bowling Rankings after an impressive performance against South Africa, while India captain Shreyas Iyer moved up two places to seventh in the latest T20I rankings released on Wednesday.

Starc climbed one place to overtake South Africa’s Marco Jansen after taking nine wickets in the third and final Test of the three-match series in Cape Town. The Australian left-arm pacer also achieved a career-best rating of 881 to regain the No. 1 position.

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Starc first reached the top of the rankings in August after ending India’s Jasprit Bumrah’s reign. However, Jansen took over the leading position following his six-wicket haul in the second Test at Gqeberha. The South African managed just three wickets in the Cape Town encounter, allowing Starc to return to the summit.

South Africa’s Simon Harmer was another major beneficiary of the latest update following his match-winning performance at Newlands, where he claimed six wickets in Australia’s second innings to help his side secure victory and the series. The off-spinner jumped nine places to seventh. He is now one position ahead of teammate Kagiso Rabada.

Despite losing the top spot among Test bowlers, Jansen strengthened his position at the top of the Test all-rounders’ rankings, reaching a career-high rating after scoring a half-century in the third Test. Wiaan Mulder climbed one place to third, while Harmer moved up three spots to fifth in the all-rounders’ list.

In the Test batting rankings, Aiden Markram rose one place to 11th, while Mulder gained seven positions to reach 17th. Ryan Rickelton made the biggest jump among South African batters, climbing 25 places to 23rd and securing a career-best rating.

Australia’s Cameron Green and Alex Carey also gained ground, moving up three and two places, respectively, to share 19th position. West Indies batter Justin Greaves climbed 12 places to joint 38th following his team’s eight-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the first Test in Mirpur.

West Indies players Jomel Warrican and Roston Chase also improved their positions, moving to 30th in the Test bowling rankings and joint 23rd among all-rounders, respectively.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf made significant progress in the ODI bowling rankings following the conclusion of the tri-series at home. Afridi moved up one place to fifth, while Rauf gained five positions to reach 24th.

Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman climbed nine places to 37th in the ODI batting rankings. England’s Ben Duckett moved up one spot to sixth, while Sri Lanka’s Pavan Rathnayake made a notable jump of 20 places to 16th.

In the T20I rankings, Iyer’s rise to seventh in the batting list followed India’s series triumph in New Zealand. New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips also gained 13 places to reach 24th among T20I batters.

Among T20I bowlers, New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner climbed two places to fifth, while teammate Jacob Duffy made a significant jump of 23 positions to 23rd.

Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai also improved his standing, gaining three places to move to third in the T20I all-rounders’ rankings following his Player of the Series performance in his team’s recent series victory over Zimbabwe in the UAE.