Dubai: Pakistan’s off-spinner
Saeed Ajmal has risen one more place and his spin partner Abdur Rehman
has broken into the top 10 for the first time in his career in the
Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers which were released on
Sunday after the conclusion of the Abu Dhabi, Adelaide and Napier Tests.
Saeed followed up his 10-97 in the Dubai
Test with seven for 130 in the Abu Dhabi Test which was enough to put
him ahead of England’s fast bowler James Anderson in second position.
The 34-year-old has earned 50 ratings
points for this achievement giving him a career-best rating, and he now
leads Anderson by 25 ratings points but still trails number-one ranked
Dale Steyn of South Africa by 84 ratings points.
Left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman, who had figures of two for 67 and six for 25 to win the man of the match award, has jumped five places to ninth spot. The 31-year-old from Sialkot had also gained five places in the bowlers’ rankings after his match figures of four for 89 in the Dubai Test.
Left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman, who had figures of two for 67 and six for 25 to win the man of the match award, has jumped five places to ninth spot. The 31-year-old from Sialkot had also gained five places in the bowlers’ rankings after his match figures of four for 89 in the Dubai Test.
This is after 23 years year that two
Pakistan spinners figure inside the top 10 of the Test player rankings.
In September 1988, Abdul Qadir was ranked fifth and Iqbal Qasim 10th,
along with Imran Khan (third), Wasim Akram (eighth) and Tauseef Ahmed
(13th). The very fact that Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez are currently
the two top-ranked ODI bowlers means this is undoubtedly one of the
finest periods for Pakistan spinners in the history of the game.
Also making upward movements are Peter
Siddle, Ryan Harris, Nathan Lyon (all Australia), Chris Martin, Doug
Bracewell (both New Zealand), while Monty Panesar of England has
returned to the rankings in 34th position.
Siddle, who won the man of the match award for his six for 96 in the Adelaide Test, has gained two places and is now in fourth position with a career-best rating, Harris’s match figures of four for 112 has lifted him four places to 22nd spot, while Lyon’s match figures of five for 111 has earned him nine places and puts him in 43rd position.
Siddle, who won the man of the match award for his six for 96 in the Adelaide Test, has gained two places and is now in fourth position with a career-best rating, Harris’s match figures of four for 112 has lifted him four places to 22nd spot, while Lyon’s match figures of five for 111 has earned him nine places and puts him in 43rd position.
Martin has jumped three places to 13th
position following his match figures of eight for 31 in the Napier Test
which has also earned him the man of the award while Bracewell has
climbed four places and is now in 31st position after his five for 38.
Mainstays of their sides’ batting orders
– Michael Clarke, Misbah-ul-Haq, Ricky Ponting and Ross Taylor – have
made big strides in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen.
Clarke, who struck 210 and 37 and ended
up as the player of the series against India, has moved up seven places
and now occupies third position. Ponting is the next highest-ranked
Australia batsman in 14th position after he climbed eight places
following his scores of 221 and 60 not out.
Misbah has broken into the top 10 for
the first time in his career in eighth position by rising six places
following his contributions of 84 and 12 while Taylor’s 122 retired hurt
in Napier has lifted him three places to 17th position.
Other notable batsmen moving up the
order include Azhar Ali in 22nd (up by two), Andrew Strauss in 33rd (up
by one), Brad Haddin in 41st (up by two), Asad Shafiq in 47th (up by
12), Virat Kohli in 50th (up by 17) and Bradley-John Watling in 78th (up
by 23).
