Mitchell Starc claims top Test bowler ranking, Jasprit Bumrah drops to second
Australia pacer Mitchell Starc has achieved the No. 1 ranking for Test bowlers for the first time in his career. This ascent follows his strong performance against Bangladesh, which saw him displace Jasprit Bumrah from the top spot.
Starc’s rise to the premier position comes after his significant contribution in the second Test against Bangladesh in Mackay. He secured 10 wickets in the match, including figures of 6/12 in the first innings and 4/39 in the second. This performance helped Australia achieve an innings and 51-run victory, which also leveled the World Test Championship series. His efforts earned him both Player of the Match and Player of the Series awards against Bangladesh.
The 36-year-old left-arm pacer moved past New Zealand’s Matt Henry and India’s Jasprit Bumrah in the latest rankings. Starc now holds a 10-rating-point lead over Bumrah.
Starc’s Career Milestone and Bumrah’s Tenure
Starc has been a consistent presence within the top 10 of the Test bowler rankings for much of his 15-year Test career. He had previously reached a career-best ranking of No. 2 after the Boxing Day Test last year and entered the top three following strong performances against England in the Ashes series towards the end of the previous year. However, this marks his inaugural time at the very top of the rankings.
Jasprit Bumrah’s most recent period as the world’s No. 1 Test bowler lasted for two months. He first attained the top position in February 2024 and had largely maintained it for much of the past two years. Overall, Bumrah has spent 697 days at the top of the rankings, which is the highest total for an Indian bowler and the 14th-highest in Test cricket history. His absence from India’s ongoing ICC World Test Championship series against Sri Lanka, combined with Starc’s recent form, contributed to the change in rankings.
Following Starc’s ascent, Bumrah now holds the second position, with Matt Henry dropping to third. Starc’s Australian teammate, Pat Cummins, also moved up one place to fourth on the Test bowler list after taking six wickets in the match against Bangladesh. Additionally, spinner Nathan Lyon rose two spots to 10th.
Other Notable Ranking Movements
In the Test bowler rankings, England duo Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue also made significant gains. Robinson climbed 15 spots to 11th place after taking 5/51 and 3/39 in England’s innings and 103-run victory over Pakistan in Leeds. Tongue improved by 16 rungs to 17th overall, having taken eight wickets in the same Test. The pair combined for 16 wickets during the match in Leeds.
Other bowlers who saw improvements include India’s Manav Suthar, who jumped 28 places to a career-best 48th after a 10-wicket haul in India’s 165-run win over Sri Lanka in Galle. Sri Lanka bowlers Asitha Fernando and Prabath Jayasuriya both gained five places to reach 15th and 16th respectively. Pakistan’s Ali Usman moved up 30 places to 67th, England’s Jofra Archer rose six places to joint-38th, India’s Prasidh Krishna climbed two places to 53rd, and Bangladesh’s Shoriful Islam moved up 17 places to 57th.
The top of the Test batter rankings remained largely unchanged, with England’s Harry Brook (first) and Joe Root (second) maintaining their positions. They hold a slight advantage over Australia’s Steve Smith (third) and Travis Head (fourth). Brook extended his lead at the top after scoring 90 against Pakistan, now leading Root by 24 rating points.
A notable mover within the top 10 of the batting rankings is India’s Rishabh Pant, who gained six spots to reach equal seventh. This follows his quickfire half-century in the second innings of India’s victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test in Galle, marking his return to the top 10 for the first time in a year after scores of 39 and 66 against Sri Lanka.
Outside the top 10, gains in the Test batter list were observed for Australia all-rounder Cameron Green (up nine spots to 21st), Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva (up two places to equal 22nd), Pakistan’s Abdullah Shafique (up seven rungs to equal 27th), and India right-hander KL Rahul (up five slots to 30th). Sonal Dinusha and Devdutt Padikkal also saw gains, with Padikkal re-entering the rankings at 59th.
In the updated rankings for Test all-rounders, India veteran Ravindra Jadeja retained his No. 1 position. Small gains were made by Pat Cummins (up one spot to seventh), Cameron Green (up one place to equal 17th), and Ollie Robinson (up five rungs to 23rd).
The latest rankings reflect significant shifts, particularly at the top of the Test bowler standings, with Mitchell Starc’s dominant performance against Bangladesh propelling him to the No. 1 spot.
Source: icc-cricket.com
