Pakistan’s thrilling series-levelling five-wickets win over Sri Lanka in the third and final Test in Sharjah, has resulted in a number of its players moving upwards in the latest Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Tests.
Leading the charge was Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who has moved up two places to a career-best sixth in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen.
The latest rankings update was released on Tuesday, a day after Misbah allied with Azhar Ali to fashion a thrilling chase on the final day.
Misbah is now on 824 ratings points, just two ahead of Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara who dropped down a place to seventh. Misbah, who ended as the second highest run-getter in the series with 364 runs, scored 63 and 68 not out in both innings of the Sharjah Test.
Azhar Ali, player of the Match in the Sharjah Test for his knock of 103 in the second innings, has moved up three places to 22nd in the batting table.
First-time century maker and the only other centurion in the Test, Ahmed Shehzad, has rocketed 66 places to a best-ever 67th, following his knock of 147 in the first innings. Shehzad’s opening partner Khurram Manzoor in 57th position, has also moved up by three places.
Younus Khan in tenth place continued to be the only other Pakistan batsman in the top 10.
For Sri Lanka the only good news was in the form of captain Angelo Mathews who moved up a place to a best-ever 12th, after having scored 91 in the first innings of the Test.
Mathews was named Player of the Series for being the highest run-getter with 412 runs .
Mahela Jayawardena in 18th is the other Sri Lanka batsman in the top 20, while outside the top 20, Prasanna Jayawardena in 49th has moved up by three places. Dilruwan Perera has entered the batting table in 78th position.
Meanwhile, Pakistan spinner Abur Rehman has moved up a place to career-best 13th on the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers in one of the only two positive changes in the top 20. Rehman picked up four for 56 in the second innings of the Sharjah Test.
But the most impressive jump was that of paceman Junaid Khan, who has moved up three places to 18th, to make the top 20 for the first-time ever. Junaid finished as the highest wicket-taker on either side with 14 wickets in the series.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s pace duo of Shaminda Eranga and Suranga Lakmal have also moved up on the bowlers’ table. Eranga is now in a career-best 41st (up by four), while Lakmal has moved up three places to a best-ever 63rd.
Sri Lanka’’s Rangana Herath in fourth place is the highest ranked bowler on either side, with Saeed Ajmal trailing him in fifth place just two ratings points behind on 787.
The batting table is still headed by South Africa’s AB de Villiers with Shivnarine Chanderpaul in second place. The bowlers’ table is topped by South Africa’s Vernon Philander, with teammate Dale Steyn in second position.
Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Tests (as of 21 January, after the Sharjah Test)
Batsmen
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Ave HS Rating
1 ( – ) AB de Villiers SA 912! 51.71 912 v Ind at Durban 2013
2 ( – ) S.Chanderpaul WI 876 51.93 901 v NZ at Napier 2008
3 ( – ) Ross Taylor NZ 871! 47.51 871 v WI at Hamilton 2013
4 ( – ) Hashim Amla SA 868 51.34 907 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2013
5 ( – ) C Pujara Ind 851*! 66.25 851 v SA at Durban 2013
6 (+2) Misbah-ul-Haq Pak 824! 48.75 824 v SL at Sharjah 2014
7 (-1) K Sangakkara SL 822 56.35 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
8 (-1) Michael Clarke Aus 817 51.40 900 v SL at Melbourne 2012
9 ( – ) Graeme Smith SA 785 49.56 843 v Eng at Johannesburg 2010
10 ( – ) Younus Khan Pak 759 51.38 880 v SL at Lahore 2009
11 ( – ) Virat Kohli Ind 739* 44.32 748 v SA at Johannesburg 2013
12 (+1) Angelo Mathews SL 709! 45.29 709 v Pak at Sharjah 2014
13 (-1) Chris Rogers Aus 694*! 40.42 694 v Eng at Sydney 2014
14 ( – ) David Warner Aus 683 40.93 741 v Eng at Perth 2013
15 ( – ) Ian Bell Eng 682 45.41 822 v Ind at The Oval 2011
16 ( – ) Alastair Cook Eng 677 46.51 874 v Ind at Kolkata 2012
17 ( – ) Kevin Pietersen Eng 674 47.28 909 v WI at Headingley 2007
18 ( – ) M Jayawardena SL 664 49.47 883 v Ind at Ahmedabad 2009
19 ( – ) Jonathan Trott Eng 641 46.45 856 v SL at Cardiff 2011
20 ( – ) Darren Bravo WI 636 44.68 709 v Aus at Port-of-Spain 2012
Selected Rankings
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Ave HS Rating
22 (+3) Azhar Ali Pak 625 39.14 753 v SL at Pallekele 2012
25 (-3) Asad Shafiq Pak 612 36.60 680 v SA at Cape Town 2013
45 (-3) D Chandimal SL 515* 47.20 571 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2013
49 (+3) P Jayawardena SL 475 31.22 510 v Eng at Galle 2012
57 (+3) K Manzoor Pak 433* 31.12 467 v SA at Abu Dhabi 2013
60 (-1) Kaushal Silva SL 421*! 32.58 421 v Pak at Sharjah 2014
67 (+66) Ahmed Shehzad Pak 403*! 45.50 403 v SL at Sharjah 2014
78 (NEW) Dilruwan Perera SL 380*! 51.50 380 v Pak at Sharjah 2014
81 (-2) D Karunaratne SL 364*! 29.68 364 v Pak at Sharjah 2014
Bowlers
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Ave HS Rating
1 ( – ) Vernon Philander SA 909 18.00 912 v Ind at Johannesburg 2013
2 ( – ) Dale Steyn SA 901 22.90 908 v Pak at Johannesburg 2013
3 ( – ) Ryan Harris Aus 866*! 21.56 866 v Eng at Sydney 2014
4 ( – ) Rangana Herath SL 789 29.99 838 v NZ at Colombo (PSS) 2012
5 ( – ) Saeed Ajmal Pak 787 27.46 855 v Zim at Harare 2013
6 ( – ) Peter Siddle Aus 779 28.68 816 v Eng at Old Trafford 2013
7 ( – ) R Ashwin Ind 759 28.50 808 v WI at Mumbai 2013
8 ( – ) Mitchell Johnson Aus 743 28.33 825 v Eng at Cardiff 2009
9 ( – ) Pragyan Ojha Ind 741 30.26 773 v Eng at Kolkata 2012
10= ( – ) Stuart Broad Eng 729 30.31 783 v WI at Lord’s 2012
( – ) Trent Boult NZ 729*! 26.54 729 v WI at Hamilton 2013
12 ( – ) Morne Morkel SA 707 29.91 776 v Aus at Cape Town 2011
13 (+1) Abdur Rehman Pak 705* 27.75 739 v Eng at Dubai 2012
14 (-1) Tim Southee NZ 699! 31.44 699 v WI at Hamilton 2013
15 ( – ) James Anderson Eng 683 30.67 813 v Ind at Edgbaston 2011
16 ( – ) Kemar Roach WI 649* 27.71 712 v NZ at Kingston 2012
17 ( – ) Ben Hilfenhaus Aus 627* 28.50 757 v WI at Port-of-Spain 2012
18 (+3) Junaid Khan Pak 623*! 29.07 623 v SL at Sharjah 2014
19 (-1) Nathan Lyon Aus 618 32.52 648 v Eng at Melbourne 2013
20 (-1) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 614 32.60 680 v WI at Mirpur 2011
Selected Rankings
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Ave HS Rating
41 (+4) Shaminda Eranga SL 392*! 34.09 392 v Pak at Sharjah 2014
63 (+3) Suranga Lakmal SL 264*! 53.75 264 v Pak at Sharjah 2014
75 (RE) M Talha Pak 212*! 36.00 212 v SL at Sharjah 2014
All-rounders
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts HS Rating
1 ( – ) R Ashwin Ind 388*/ 419 v WI at Mumbai 2013
2 ( – ) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 362 404 v Pak at Mirpur 2011
3 ( – ) Vernon Philander SA 335*/ ! 335 v Ind at Durban 2013
4 ( – ) Stuart Broad Eng 291 382 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2012
5 ( – ) Shane Watson Aus 260/* 394 v SA at Johannesburg 2011
