ICC Test rankings: Abbas regains position in top 20

Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Abbas has entered the top 20 of the International Cricket Council rankings for Test bowlers after his good performance with the ball in the first Test against Australia in Dubai.

Mohammad Abbas returned figures of 4/29 and 3/56 and was joint 13^th — with Windies all-rounder Jason Holder — after rising eight spots.

Off-spinner Bilal Asif, the debutant, got 6/36 in the Australian first innings, and entered the chart at number 69.

Usman Khawaja’s heroics against Pakistan helped him jump nine spots to number 10. He top-scored for Australia in the first innings with 85, scored in over four hours, and then – with his team staring at defeat – led a stunning resistance on the final day, with an innings of 141, scored in close to nine hours.

There were no changes above him, with Virat Kohli’s 139 in the first Test against the Windies keeping him firm at number one with 936 points – one off his career-high of 937. Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, Joe Root and David Warner round off the top five.

Following the completion of the two Tests – India v Windies in Rajkot and Pakistan v Australia in Dubai – there were many other movers among the batsmen.

In Dubai, Asad Shafiq’s 80 and 41 took him up five points and to number 20, while Mohammad Hafeez, who scored 126 in the first innings, re-entered the list at number 45. Tim Paine, the Australian captain who scored 61 not out to help draw the Dubai Test, entered the top 50 at number 49 with a career-high 524 points.

Slightly lower down, Haris Sohail’s first Test century took him to the 57th spot (up 17), while two of the three Australian debutants also had good returns: Aaron Finch hit 62 and 49, and entered the list at number 72 and Travis Head’s second-innings 72 took him to the 103rd position.

Across in Rajkot, the hero for India was Prithvi Shaw, the debutant scoring 134 opening the innings. He entered the chart at number 73, one spot below Finch. Ravindra Jadeja also made a stirring comeback to the Test XI, hitting 100 not out in India’s only innings. He was up six spots to number 51 with a career-best 511 points.