Dubai: Australia batsman Steve Smith and fast bowler Pat Cummins remain at the top of the ICC Test Player Rankings after the Ashes, which culminated with a 135-run victory for England on Sunday (September 15) as the five-match series ended in a 2-2 draw.
Smith’s scores of 80 and 23 have helped him remain 34 points ahead of Virat Kohli with 937 rating points, an incredible effort since he started the series in fourth position with 857 points before his surge that came courtesy 774 runs in four Tests.
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Cummins too is well clear of other bowlers as he enjoys a lead of 57 points over second-placed Kagiso Rabada after finishing as the top wicket-taker with 29 scalps.
Other players from Australia to make notable gains are Matthew Wade and Mitchell Marsh. Wade’s fourth Test century has lifted him 32 places to 78th, his highest since being ranked 52nd in March 2013. Marsh’s maiden five-wicket haul has helped him gain 20 places to reach 54th place, his best since March 2017.
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David Warner has lost seven places after the Test to finish in 24th position among batsmen. He has slid 19 places during the five matches with a tally of 95 runs in 10 innings, starting the series in fifth position. Josh Hazlewood has dropped from 12th to eighth after briefly making the top-10 among bowlers.
For England, fast bowler Jofra Archer has moved into the top 40 for the first time after grabbing six first-innings wickets while left-arm seamer Sam Curran has gained six slots to reach 65th position with three wickets.
Jos Buttler’s scores of 70 and 47 have lifted him back into the world’s top 30 for the first time since January this year while Joe Denly’s career-best score of 94 has taken him to a career-highest 57th place. Rory Burns has also moved up five places to 56th position.
ICC Test Rankings (as on September 16, 2019)
Batsmen (Top 10)
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Avge Highest Rating
1 ( - ) Steve Smith Aus 937 64.56 947 v SA at Durban 2018
2 ( - ) Virat Kohli India 903 53.14 937 v Eng at Southampton 2018
3 ( - ) K Williamson NZ 878 52.22 915 v Ban at Hamilton 2019
4 ( - ) C Pujara India 825 49.87 888 v SL at Nagpur 2017
5 ( - ) Henry Nicholls NZ 749 44.25 778 v Ban at Wellington 2019
6 ( - ) Joe Root Eng 731 47.91 917 v Aus at Trent Bridge 2015
7 ( - ) A Rahane India 725 42.23 825 v NZ at Indore 2016
8 ( - ) Tim Latham NZ 724! 44.03 724 v SL at Colombo (PSS) 2019
9 ( - ) D Karunaratne SL 723 36.93 754 v SA at Colombo (SSC) 2018
10 ( - ) Aiden Markram SA 719* 43.8 759 v Aus at Johannesburg 2018
Bowlers (Top 10)
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Avge Highest Rating
1 ( - ) Pat Cummins Aus 908 21.45 914 v Eng at Old Trafford 2019
2 ( - ) K Rabada SA 851 21.77 902 v Aus at Port Elizabeth 2018
3 ( - ) J Bumrah India 835*! 19.24 835 v WI at Jamaica 2019
4 ( - ) Jason Holder WI 814 ! 27.26 814 v India at Jamaica 2019
5 ( - ) V Philander SA 813 21.64 912 v India at Johannesburg 2013
6 ( - ) J Anderson Eng 798 26.94 903 v India at Lord's 2018
7 ( - ) Trent Boult NZ 795 27.35 825 v Eng at Lord's 2015
8 ( - ) Neil Wagner NZ 785 27.51 801 v Ban at Wellington 2019
9 (+1) Kemar Roach WI 780! 26.94 780 v India at Jamaica 2019
10 (+1) M Abbas Pak 770* 18.86 838 v NZ at Abu Dhabi 2018
! indicates career-highest rating