Headingley Display Helps Ben Duckett Attain Career-Best ICC Test Ranking

Headingley Display Helps Ben Duckett Attain Career-Best ICC Test Ranking (Image Source: Twitter)

England opener Ben Duckett has reached a career-best eighth position in the ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings after his outstanding performance in the opening match of the ICC World Test Championship series against India at Headingley in Leeds.

The 30-year-old left-hander scored 62 runs in the first innings and 149 in the second, contributing significantly to England's victory by five wickets on the final day. His impressive performance earned him the Player of the Match award and propelled him five spots higher in the latest weekly rankings update, which saw several batters making notable gains.

Ollie Pope, who scored a century in the first innings, has moved up three places to 19th position while Jamie Smith is at a career-best 27th position, his scores of 40 and 44 lifting him eight places.

Fast bowler Josh Tongue has galloped in the bowling rankings, up 16 places to 64th after grabbing seven wickets in the match, while captain Ben Stokes has gained one slot to be 49th among bowlers and up three places to fifth among all-rounders after picking a total of five wickets and scoring 53 runs in two innings.

India ended on the losing side but the four batters notching centuries have all gained. Vice-captain Rishabh Pant’s twin-centuries have lifted him one place to seventh position, captain Shubman Gill is back in the top 20, K.L. Rahul has moved up 10 places to 38th while opener Yashasvi Jaiswal retains fourth position reaching a career-best 851 rating points.

The drawn Galle Test also sees some notable gainers among batters from the Sri Lanka and Bangladesh sides.

Career bests for Najmul and Nissanka: Former Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim has gained 11 places to reach 28th position after scores of 163 and 49, present captain Najmul Hossain Shanto’s twin-centuries help him gain a whopping 21 places to reach a career-best 29th position and Shadman Islam has moved from 58th to 55th. Sri Lanka opener Pathum Nissanka’s first innings knock of 187 has helped him advance 21 places to a career-best 31st position.

In the bowling rankings, spinner Nayeem Hasan is up to 48th from 54th after picking six wickets in the match including a five-wicket haul in the first innings, Hasan Mahmud has gone from 59th to 54th while Sri Lanka’s Milan Rathnayake has advanced 17 places to 69th.

ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings: The ICC Men’s T20I Rankings see Michael Levitt of the Netherlands attain a career-best 14th position, thanks to scores of 90 against Scotland and 86 against Nepal, in a tri-series in Scotland.

Scotland players George Munsey (up two places to 23rd) and Brandon McMullen (up 20 places to 38th) have also moved up the batting rankings while Mark Watt of Scotland (up two places to 38th) and Lalit Rajbanshi of Nepal (up 29 places to 54th) have progressed among bowlers.