ICC Test Rankings: James Anderson likely to lose No. 1 spot
In the MRF Tyres Player Rankings for Test Bowlers, James Anderson is likely to slip from his one-number position after a shoulder injury has sidelined him from the Lord’s Test. As each player is docked one percent of his points for each Test he misses, Anderson is set to drop behind India’s Ravichandran Ashwin, whom he leads by six points.
England’s third-ranked Stuart Broad will be the highest-ranked bowler going into the first Test. He is followed by Pakistan’s wrist-spinner Yasir Shah, who is still 24 wickets away from attaining the full ranking that comes with 100 Test wickets, but has a good chance of making it to the number one position this season.
Other bowlers aiming to improve their rankings include Stokes (26th), Zulfiqar Babar (28th), Moeen Ali (30th), Rahat Ali (35th), Wahab Riaz (38th) and Imran Khan (47th).
The Test player rankings will now be updated at the conclusion of the Lord’s Test between England and Pakistan.
Series schedule:
14-18 July – 1st Test, Lord’s
22-26 July – 2nd Test, Old Trafford
3-7 August – 3rd Test, Edgbaston
11-15 August – 4th Test, The Oval
MRF Tyres ICC Test player rankings (as of 12 July, before the start of England-Pakistan series)
Bowlers (Top 10)
| Rank | Player (Country) | Points |
| 1 | James Anderson (England) | 877 |
| 2 | Ravichandran Ashwin (India) | 871 |
| 3 | Stuart Broad (England) | 852 |
| 4 | Yasir Shah (Pakistan) | 846 |
| 5 | Dale Steyn (South Africa) | 841 |
| 6 | Ravindra Jadeja (India) | 789 |
| 7 | Trent Boult (New Zealand) | 757 |
| 8 | Josh Hazlewood (Australia) | 751 |
| 9 | Morne Morkel (South Africa) | 724 |
| 10 | Vernon Philander (South Africa) | 717 |
All-rounders (top 5)
| Rank | Player (Country) | Points |
| 1 | Ravichandran Ashwin (India) | 406 |
| 2 | Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) | 384 |
| 3 | Stuart Broad (England) | 284 |
| 4 | Vernon Philander (South Africa) | 275 |
| 5 | Ben Stokes (England) | 264 |