ICC Teams and Player Rankings watch for 2025

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Bumrah records highest points tally by an Indian bowler in ICC Test Rankings

Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has recorded the highest ever rating points tally achieved by an Indian bowler as he consolidated his position at the top of the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings after another successful Test in Melbourne that saw him finish with a nine-wicket match haul.

Bumrah, who is shortlisted for the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year award for the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy and also the ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year award, has moved up from his previous tied high of 904 with Ravichandran Ashwin. His tally of 907 rating points now places him joint-17th in the all-time list with yesteryear spinner Derek Underwood of England.

The list is led by England seamers Sydney Barnes (932) and George Lohmann (931) who played more than a century ago while Imran Khan (922) and Muttiah Muralidaran (920) are third and fourth.

Cummins advances in all three lists: Australia captain Pat Cummins, who is joint-fifth with Glenn McGrath in that list with 914 rating points, is another one to gain in the latest rankings update after helping win the fourth match of their ICC World Test Championship series against India in Melbourne.

The first weekly update of 2025 that also considers performances in the first Test between South Africa and Pakistan in Centurion and the first Test between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan in Bulawayo, sees Cummins achieve a career-best third position in the all-rounders’ list, bettering the fifth position he attained in August 2019.

His scores of 49 and 41 have also lifted him 10 places to 97th among batters and his three wickets in each innings have helped him inch up one place to third position among bowlers with 837 rating points.

South Africa’s Marco Jansen has attained a career-best fifth position after his second innings haul of six for 52 helped him past 800 rating points for the first time while Pakistan seamer Mohammad Abbas has re-entered the rankings in 23rd position after taking seven wickets in the match.

Naseem Shah (up six places to 33rd) and Dane Paterson (up eight places to 46th) have progressed because of their performances in Centurion while Scott Boland of Australia (up seven places to 38th) and Brian Bennett of Zimbabwe (up 48 places to 94th) have also moved up the bowling rankings.

Saud Shakeel achieves career-best ranking: In the Test Batting Rankings, Pakistan’s left-hander Saud Shakeel is up to a career-best sixth position after scoring 84 in the second innings. Steve Smith has advanced three places to seventh after scoring 140 while India opener Yashaswi Jaiswal’s scores of 84 and 82 have helped him reach fourth position with a career-best 854 rating points.

South Africa opener Aiden Markram’s Player of the Match effort of 89 and 37 in Centurion places him in 16th position after gaining eight places while India’s Nitish Kumar Reddy is up 20 places to 53rd after his valiant century at number eight.

Sean Williams’ innings of 154 has taken him up to 19th place with 653 points – the highest by a batter form Zimbabwe since Brendan Taylor reached 684 back in 2014.

Afghanistan pair in the limelight: The Afghanistan pair of Rahmat Shah (234) and Hashmatullah Shahidi (246) both surpassed their country’s previous highest individual score and were rewarded with gains to 52nd and 57th positions, respectively.

In the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings, Pathun Nissanka of Sri Lanka is up three places to sixth among batters while Mitchell Santner of New Zealand (up five places to ninth) and Matheesha Pathirana (up eight places to 26th) have moved up the bowling rankings after the first two matches of their T20I series which hosts New Zealand lead 2-0.

 

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Border-Gavaskar finale and South Africa’s whitewash of Pakistan spark major ICC rankings changes

The latest update in the ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings saw Australia and South Africa’s players emerge as the biggest winners.

The past week was brimming with Test cricket action, with three series reaching their conclusion: the Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia, South Africa's clash against Pakistan and Zimbabwe's tussle with Afghanistan.

One of the standout performers in the latest ICC Men's Rankings is Scott Boland, the Player of the Match in the Sydney Test. Boland made a remarkable leap of 29 places to break into the top 10, sharing the ninth spot with India's spinner Ravindra Jadeja.

Boland's stellar performance in the Sydney Test, where he claimed a 10-wicket haul (4/31 and 6/45), proved too much for the Indian batters on a lively Sydney pitch. His efforts were instrumental in Australia's triumph, ending a decade-long wait to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Australia's skipper, Pat Cummins, also made gains in the rankings, climbing to No.2 after picking up five wickets in the final match. He is now closing in on Jasprit Bumrah, who remains at the top with a career-best rating of 908.

Bumrah had already made history ahead of the final Test by recording the highest-ever ICC Rankings rating for an Indian bowler at 907 points. He improved that tally by one point after taking two wickets in the first innings. However, a back spasm ruled him out of bowling in the second innings, restricting his role to just batting.

In a low-scoring fifth Test, only two half-centuries were recorded. Among the standout performances, Rishabh Pant's blistering 33-ball 61 in the second innings caught the eye. His explosive knock earned him a three-spot rise in the batting rankings, moving him to No.9.

In contrast, the second Test between South Africa and Pakistan proved to be a haven for batters. Leading the charge was Player of the Match Ryan Rickelton, whose magnificent double century (259) propelled him 48 places up the batting rankings to No.55.

Captain Temba Bavuma extended his rich vein of form, scoring a vital century in the first innings to climb three spots to No.6, also achieving a career-best rating of 769. Meanwhile, Kyle Verreynne's impressive century saw him rise four places to secure the No.25 spot.

Pakistan endured a dismal first innings with the bat, managing only 194 in response to South Africa's massive 615. However, they showed resilience after being asked to follow on by the Proteas.

Babar Azam stood out with half-centuries in both innings, earning a five-spot climb to 12th in the batting rankings. Captain Shan Masood led from the front in the second innings with a valiant 145, which took him 12 places up to 45th.

In the bowling rankings, Kagiso Rabada's six-wicket haul in the match saw him climb one spot to No.3, now trailing only Cummins and Bumrah.

Meanwhile, in the all-rounder rankings, Marco Jansen made significant strides, moving up two places to secure the second spot. His impactful performance in the final Test against Pakistan, which included a brisk half-century and three wickets, brought him closer to leader Ravindra Jadeja.

Afghanistan’s historic series win over Zimbabwe in the second Test saw several players make significant moves in the rankings. Centurions Rahmat Shah, who climbed 26 places to No.26, and debutant Ismat Alam, who entered the rankings at joint No.82, were the standout performers for the visitors in the batting charts.

For Zimbabwe, Craig Ervine (75 and 53 no.) rose 10 spots to joint No.37, while Sikandar Raza (61 and 38) re-entered the batting rankings at No.91 after playing his first Test since 2021.

Rashid Khan, also returning to Test cricket after a hiatus since 2021, was pivotal in Afghanistan’s victory. He delivered a match-winning performance with the ball, recording career-best figures of 7/66 in the second innings, alongside a four-wicket haul in the first. With a match tally of 11 wickets, the leg-spinner re-entered the bowling rankings at No.54.

In white-ball cricket, the final T20I and the first ODI between New Zealand and Sri Lanka brought notable changes in the rankings.

Kusal Perera's explosive 46-ball 101 in the last T20I secured a consolation win for Sri Lanka and earned him a massive 26-spot jump to No.10 in the batting rankings.

From New Zealand's victory in the opening ODI, Matt Henry climbed to 12th among bowlers after his four-wicket haul, while Will Young's unbeaten 90 saw him rise to joint 13th in the batting rankings.

ICC