Robinson, Tongue gain big in Test rankings after Pakistan thrashing

Dubai, Sep 2 (IANS) England fast bowlers Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue have continued their impressive climb in the latest ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings after playing key roles in England’s commanding 2-0 lead over Pakistan in their ICC World Test Championship series.

Robinson, who was named Player of the Match in both Tests, produced another outstanding performance at Lord’s, taking four wickets in each innings to finish with match figures of eight for 35. The right-arm quick has jumped six places to fifth in the bowling rankings, just one position shy of his career-best ranking of fourth, which he achieved in February 2023.

The latest rise means Robinson has gained 22 places since the start of the series.

Tongue has also enjoyed a significant surge, moving up four places to a career-best 13th position after claiming five wickets in the match. The England pacer has climbed 20 places over the course of the series.

Pakistan’s bowlers have also made notable gains despite their side falling behind in the series. Seam bowler Mohammad Abbas moved up 10 places to joint-15th after registering a nine-wicket match haul, while Mohammad Ali jumped 11 spots to reach 81st following his five-wicket performance.

Among the batters, Pakistan’s Saud Shakeel was one of the biggest movers. His second-innings knock of 97 lifted him 15 places to 18th, making him the second-highest ranked Pakistan batter behind captain Babar Azam. Babar, however, slipped five places to 15th.

England batters Jordan Cox and Dan Lawrence also made progress, with Cox rising six places to 76th and Lawrence gaining 10 spots to reach 92nd.

The latest rankings update also takes into account performances from the second Test between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo, where several players recorded career-best positions.

Sri Lanka’s Sonal Dinusha, who struck centuries in both innings, has climbed to a career-best 25th position. The all-rounder has made an impressive start to his Test career, averaging 86.57 with the bat across his first five matches.

India’s Devdutt Padikkal moved up five places to a career-best 54th after scoring 117 in the first innings, while Dhruv Jurel climbed from 83rd to 65th following his unbeaten 115.

Sri Lanka batter Pasindu Sooriyabandara enjoyed one of the biggest jumps in the rankings after scores of 80 and 92 in only his second Test. He surged 170 places to reach 74th, while Kamindu Mendis returned to the top 10 after scoring a half-century in the second innings.

There were also gains for several bowlers following the Colombo Test. Sri Lanka pacer Asitha Fernando rose four places to 11th, India spinner Manav Suthar climbed four spots to 44th, while Mohammed Siraj moved up one place to 17th.

Meanwhile, South Africa’s Dewald Brevis has reached a career-best fourth position in the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings. Brevis climbed six places after scoring 75 against Namibia and following it up with an unbeaten 75 and 41 against Zimbabwe in the ongoing tri-series in Windhoek.

Namibia’s Jan Frylinck also moved up eight places to 98th among T20I batters, while Zimbabwe pacer Brad Evans gained eight spots to reach 26th in the bowling rankings.

–IANS

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