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Ashwin reclaims pole position in ICC Test rankings

by Manuj Sharma Tuesday 26 July 2016

Ravichandran Ashwin scored a century and picked three wickets in the first Test against West Indies.

©WICB Media/Johnny Jno-Baptiste

Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who snared seven wickets in the first Test match against West Indies in Antigua, has reclaimed the pole position in the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings for Test bowlers, displacing Pakistan’s Yasir Shah.

Ashwin, who struck a century in the first Test in Antigua to accompany his seven-wicket haul, also consolidated his position at the top of the ICC rankings for all-rounders in Tests, opening up a 43-point gap with Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan.

After taking only one wicket in the second Test match against England at Old Trafford, Yasir Shah dropped down to the fifth position while James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Dale Steyn ascended a spot each.

Anderson earned seven points for his four wickets in the Old Trafford Test while Ashwin picked up five points, reducing the gap between the two bowlers to just one point.

England’s Chris Woakes, who picked seven wickets against Pakistan in the second Test, leapfrogged 10 spots to lay claim to the 23rd rank.

Among the batsmen, Joe Root and Alastair Cook have made crucial gains after their excellent knocks in the Old Trafford Test match.

Root slammed a double hundred and followed it up with a fifty while Cook hit a total of 181 runs in the Test across the two innings.

As a result, Root has jumped to the second spot while Cook has gained four places to return to the top-10 and reached the ninth position in the ICC rankings for Test batsmen.

For his double hundred in Antigua, Indian Test captain Virat Kohli has moved up two spots and is seated in the 12th position.

Both India and England completed comprehensive wins in their respective Test matches against West Indies and Pakistan respectively, with both the games ending in four days.