ICC rankings for Test bowlers: Ravichandran Ashwin breaks into top 10, major gains for Sri Lankans
There was good news for several Sri Lanka players in the latest ICC rankings which were released following its memorable 63-run victory over India in the first Test at Galle on Saturday, with career high gains for wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal and Tharindu Kaushal, as Rangana Herath also helped inspire the hosts to an unlikely victory.
As a result of some fine performances with the ball from both sides, there was also movement in the top 10 of the ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers. Left-arm spinner Herath has moved up two places to sixth after claiming match figures of seven for 115 runs, his 22nd five-wicket haul in Test cricket, and is now on 771 points, a point clear of South Africa’s Vernon Philander.
Herath is now in third place in the all-time wicket-takers’ list for left-arm spinners on 270 wickets, four clear of Bishan Singh Bedi, with England’s Derek Underwood (297 wickets) in second place and New Zealand great Daniel Vettori (362) leading the list.
Meanwhile, India’s Ravichandran Ashwin has climbed three places to ninth after claiming match figures of 10 for 160, while there were also notable career-high gains for Sri Lanka duo Tharindu Kaushal (up 21 places to 60th) and Angelo Mathews (up three to 73rd).
ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers
| Rank | Player | Country | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dale Steyn | SA | 905 |
| 2 | Stuart Broad | ENG | 852 |
| 3 | James Anderson | ENG | 815 |
| 4 | Trent Boult | NZ | 814 |
| 5 | Yasir Shah | PAK | 810 |
| 6 | Rangana Herath | SL | 771 |
| 7 | Vernon Philander | SA | 770 |
| 8 | Mitchell Johnson | AUS | 765 |
| 9 | R Ashwin | IND | 734 |
| 10 | Tim Southee | NZ | 713 |
India’s Ishant Sharma is at 21st spot and Harbhajan Singh is at 32nd spot.
The top of the all-rounder rankings remain unchanged with Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan leading the way on 384 points, however Ashwin has risen one place to second place ahead of Philander, and is now 45 points behind Shakib.