Lahore: Pakistan’s Noman Ali is closing in on the top position in the ICC Men’s Test Bowler Rankings, narrowing the gap with India’s Jasprit Bumrah. Following a ten-wicket haul in Pakistan’s recent 93-run victory over South Africa, Noman has advanced four places to reach second on the list, with a career-high 853 rating points, just 29 behind Bumrah.
The match in Lahore also saw Shaheen Afridi rise three places to 19th in the Test bowler rankings after his four-wicket performance. Among batters, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, and Salman Agha made notable gains, climbing to 16th, 22nd, and 30th respectively. England’s Joe Root continues to lead the Test batter rankings.
South Africa’s Ryan Rickelton and Tony de Zorsi also made strides, with Rickelton entering the top 50 Test batters and de Zorsi moving to 54th after their performances against Pakistan.
In white-ball cricket, Australian players were rewarded after defeating India in the ODI series opener in Perth. Mitchell Marsh moved to 42nd in ODI batters, while Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc climbed to 10th and 21st among ODI bowlers. India’s Mohammed Siraj and Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hasan Miraz also saw improvements in their rankings.
England’s T20I players gained ground after their series win against New Zealand. Harry Brook moved to 20th among T20I batters, and Adil Rashid advanced to third in T20I bowlers.