Travis Head breaks into the ICC Test batting top ten, while Corbin Bosch makes major gains across all three departments.
Despite Bangladesh suffering a heavy innings defeat in the Colombo Test against Sri Lanka, Taijul Islam’s individual performance with the ball has been rewarded. The experienced left-arm spinner has climbed two spots in the ICC Test bowling rankings. Meanwhile, Mushfiqur Rahim and Najmul Hossain Shanto have dropped in the batting rankings.
The ICC published its weekly update for men’s player rankings on Wednesday, as usual. Taijul now sits at 16th, just one spot below his career-best of 15th, which he reached in 2023.
Taijul claimed five wickets for 131 runs in Sri Lanka’s only innings, marking his 17th five-wicket haul in 55 Tests.
In the same match, which Bangladesh lost by an innings and 78 runs, Mushfiq scored 35 and 26 across two innings, while Shanto managed just 8 and 19. After rising 21 places in the rankings thanks to twin centuries in the Galle Test, Shanto has now slipped five places to 34th. Mushfiq is down one spot to 29th.
After the Colombo Test, Shanto announced he would step down from captaincy.
Sri Lankan opener Pathum Nissanka, who scored 158 in that match, surged 14 places to 17th in the batting rankings. Dinesh Chandimal also moved up two spots to 13th after scoring 93 runs.
Ranking updates also reflected performances from Zimbabwe vs South Africa’s first Test in Bulawayo and West Indies vs Australia’s first Test in Barbados.
Australia’s Travis Head moved up three spots to enter the top ten at number 10. He scored crucial knocks of 59 and 61 in their 159-run win over the West Indies.
From the Bulawayo Test, South Africans Wiaan Mulder and Corbin Bosch made notable strides after scoring centuries in a dominant win over Zimbabwe. Mulder jumped 16 spots to 56th, while Bosch climbed 15 spots to 59th. Debutant Luan-dre Pretorius entered the rankings at 68th after a 150-plus score.
With South Africa’s regular captain Temba Bavuma sidelined by injury, he dropped one place to seventh in the batting rankings. India’s Rishabh Pant, who scored twin centuries in the Headingley Test against England, moved up to sixth.
There were no changes in the top five Test batters. Joe Root remains at the top, followed by Harry Brook. Kane Williamson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Steven Smith occupy the next three spots.
In the bowling rankings, Jasprit Bumrah, Kagiso Rabada, and Pat Cummins continue to hold the top three positions.
Australia’s Josh Hazlewood moved up to fourth after taking seven wickets in the Barbados Test, including a five-wicket haul in the second innings.
West Indies pacer Shamar Joseph, who took nine wickets in that match, jumped 14 places to be tied for 35th with England’s Jack Leach.
Corbin Bosch also made a significant leap in the bowling rankings — up 45 spots to 57th — thanks to a five-wicket haul in addition to his century in Bulawayo. He became only the fourth South African in 136 years of Test cricket to achieve the rare feat of a century and five wickets in an innings in the same match. The 30-year-old pace-bowling allrounder also jumped 42 places in the allrounders’ rankings and now sits at 19th — after just two Tests.
Ravindra Jadeja remains the number one Test allrounder, followed by Mehidy Hasan Miraz in second.
