Mitchell Starc jumps to 7th spot in Test Bowlers’ Rankings

Australian pacer Mitchell Starc tore his way back into the top ten of the ICC Test bowling rankings following an impressive performance against Sri Lanka in the second Test of the ENG v PAK series at Galle.

Although the Aussies were handed a sound thrashing by the hosts, Starc claimed 11 wickets in the match. Unfortunately for the tourists, Starc’s performance was the only bright spot of their series thus far as they were handed somewhat of a shocking 229-run defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka.

Steve Smith, the Australian skipper surprisingly hung on to his top spot in the ICC rankings for batsmen with 904 points to his name. Joe Root’s marvelous 254 against Pakistan in the second Test at Old Trafford saw him surge to the second spot, 16 points behind the top-placed Smith.

Another surprise on the rankings is the fifth place that is occupied by Adam Voges. It is clear that previous performances by Voges have seen him occupy the fifth spot. Angelo Mathews has also broken into the top 10 with some impressive performances with the bat in recent times.

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The bowling list has seen a change at the summit with James Anderson leap-frogging Ravi Ashwin to become the top-ranked bowler in Tests. Apart from the surprise of Mitchell Starc, Pakistan’s Yasir Shah’s descend down the table has been a well-documented one with the 30-year old leg-spinner now occupying the fifth spot on the table.

England’s Stuart Broad, South Africa’s Dale Steyn, Pakistan’s Yasir Shah and India’s Ravi Jadeja make up the top six, with Starc (767 points) one point ahead of Sri Lankan veteran Rangana Herath, who rises one spot to eighth following his brilliant performance in Galle, which included a hat-trick.

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