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Pakistan players move up in latest ICC Test rankings

Dhananjaya de Silva dropped to 16th position with a rating of 688, allowing Saud Shakeel and Rishabh Pant to advance to the 14th (693) and 15th (692) positions, respectively

Pakistan players move up in latest ICC Test rankings PHOTO: AFP

Sri Lankan all-rounder Kamindu Mendis and his teammate Angelo Mathews saw significant improvements in their positions in the ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings after their team's convincing 192-run victory over Bangladesh, securing a 2-0 series win in the ICC World Test Championship series.

Mendis, who was also honored as the ICC Men's Player of the Month for March, surged 18 places to 46th in the batting rankings (533) following his unbeaten innings of 92. Furthermore, his three-wicket performance in the second innings propelled him up by 46 spots in the bowling rankings. Mathews moved up two places to 25th (639) after his contributions of 23 and 56 runs, while Kusal Mendis also experienced a modest improvement (520) following his knock of 93 in the first innings. However, Dhananjaya de Silva dropped to 16th position with a rating of 688, allowing Saud Shakeel and Rishabh Pant to advance to the 14th (693) and 15th (692) positions, respectively.

Dimuth Karunaratne's slight drop of one place to eighth was the only movement in the top 10. New Zealand's Kane Williamson maintains his position as the top-ranked Test batsman with a score of 859, holding a 35-point lead over England's Joe Root. Pakistan's Babar Azam and Daryl Mitchell share the third position on the leaderboard with a score of 768 each.

In the bowling department, Asitha Fernando was the most notable mover in Chittagong, climbing seven places to the 27th position (576) after claiming a four-wicket haul in the first innings. Vishwa Fernando improved by two steps (41st, 482) with three wickets in the match, while Lahiru Kumara also moved up a couple of spots (44th, 482) after taking six wickets across the two innings.

Prabath Jayasuriya, the left-arm spinner from Sri Lanka, slipped three places to 11th in the rankings. James Anderson, Shaheen Afridi, and Kyle Jamieson each advanced one spot to 8th, 9th, and 10th, respectively. James Anderson now occupies the 8th position with 739 points, Shaheen Afridi is at 9th with 733 points, and Kyle Jamieson is at 10th with 729 points. India's Ravichandran Ashwin (870) maintains the top spot on the Test Bowling Rankings, followed by compatriot Jasprit Bumrah and Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, who are tied for second place (847).