Dubai, September 2: England’s fast bowlers, Ollie Robinson and Josh Tong, have been recognized for their exceptional performances against Pakistan in the second Test match, as reflected in the latest ICC Test bowling rankings.
Robinson, who was named ‘Player of the Match’ in both Tests, delivered a remarkable performance at Lord’s. He took four wickets in each innings, totaling eight wickets for just 35 runs in the match. This impressive display has propelled Robinson six places up the rankings, landing him in fifth position, just one spot shy of his career-best fourth rank achieved in February 2023.
Since the start of the series against Pakistan, Robinson has surged 22 places in the rankings. Tong also made significant strides, climbing four spots to reach a career-high 13th position after taking five wickets in the match. Throughout the series, he has gained 20 places.
Despite losing the series, Pakistan’s bowlers have also made notable advancements. Fast bowler Mohammad Abbas, with nine wickets in the match, climbed ten places to share the 15th position, while Mohammad Ali jumped 11 spots to reach 81st after taking five wickets.
Among the batsmen, Pakistan’s Saud Shakeel was one of the biggest gainers. His second-innings score of 97 lifted him 15 places to 18th, making him the second-highest ranked batsman from Pakistan after captain Babar Azam, who fell five places to 15th.
England’s Jordan Cox and Dan Lawrence also saw improvements. Cox moved up six places to 76th, while Lawrence climbed ten spots to 92nd. The latest rankings update also includes performances from the second Test between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo, where several players achieved their career-best rankings.
Sonal Dinuja, who scored centuries in both innings against India, reached a career-best 25th ranking. The all-rounder has made a stellar start to his Test career, averaging 86.57 in his first five matches.
India’s Devdutt Padikkal, after scoring 117 runs in the first innings, climbed five places to achieve a career-best 54th ranking. Meanwhile, Dhruv Jurel, with an unbeaten 115, jumped from 83rd to 65th. Sri Lanka’s Pasindu Suriyabandara made the largest leap, moving up 170 places to 74th after scoring 80 and 92 runs in his second Test, while Kamindu Mendis returned to the top 10 after a half-century in the second innings.
Following the Colombo Test, several bowlers also improved their rankings. Sri Lanka’s Asitha Fernando climbed four places to 11th, while India’s spinner Manav Suthar moved up four spots to 44th. Mohammed Siraj advanced one position to 17th.
In other news, South Africa’s Dewald Brevis has reached fourth place in the T20 International batting rankings after scoring 75 runs against Namibia and an unbeaten 75 and 41 against Zimbabwe in the ongoing triangular series in Windhoek.