Rabada surges to career-best third spot in ICC Test rankings

Dubai [UAE], Oct 11 (ANI): South Africa pace bowler Kagiso Rabada has gained two slots to reach a career-best third position in the ICC Test Rankings for bowlers following his player of the match performance against Bangladesh in Bloemfontein which helped them complete a 2-0 win in the two-match Test series.

Rabada grabbed five wickets in each innings for an enviable match-haul of 10 for 63 that helped his side to an innings and 254 runs victory. He made a notable improvement in the latest rankings, which also take into account the second Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Dubai, which Sri Lanka won by 68 runs on Tuesday to clinch the series 2-0.

Rabada, a star of the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup when his side won it in 2014, has overtaken spinners Rangana Herath of Sri Lanka and Ravichandran Ashwin of India and is now on 876 points, only eight points behind second-placed India spinner Ravindra Jadeja and 20 behind top-ranked James Anderson of England.

Rabada was not the only South Africa pace bowler to gain in the latest rankings as his new-ball partner Duanne Olivier (up nine places to a career-best 48th position), Wayne Parnell (up 10 places to 60th) and Andile Phehlukwayo (up 27 places to 93rd) have also moved up the rankings.

Captain Faf du Plessis and Aiden Markram, century-makers at Bloemfontein, are among the batsmen to gain. Du Plessis's 135 not out has seen him move up two places to 14th position while Markram has gained 43 slots to reach a career-best 61st position after his knock of 143.

For Bangladesh, Imrul Kayes has gained four slots to reach 69th position while pace bowler Subashish Roy has gained 18 slots to reach 86th position.

Aiden Markram has gained 43 slots to reach a career-best 61st position after his knock of 143 against Bangladesh Aiden Markram has gained 43 slots to reach a career-best 61st position after his knock of 143 against Bangladesh.

For Sri Lanka, who have overtaken Pakistan to take sixth position in the ICC Test Team Rankings, Dimuth Karunaratne's scores of 196 and seven have seen him move up nine places to 17th position, the first time he is in the top 20. Niroshan Dickwella has gained two slots to reach 39th position and all-rounder Dilruwan Perera has gained 10 slots to reach 76th position.

Perera has also gained in the rankings for bowlers, his eight wickets in Dubai helping him gain three positions to reach 23rd position. Suranga Lakmal has also gained three places to reach 33rd position.

Pakistan middle-order batsman Asad Shafiq, who scored his 11th Test century, has gained seven places to reach 28th position while captain Sarfraz Ahmed has gained one place to reach 32nd position.

Pace bowler Wahab Riaz's five wickets in the match have seen him overtake India's Umesh Yadav to take 24th position while Haris Sohail has gained 35 places to reach 83rd rank.(ANI)