ICC Men’s Test Rankings: Travis Head’s stunning first innings century in the World Test Championship Final has pushed the left-hander well up the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings. Scoring 163 across the first two days of the World Test Championship Final against India at The Oval, Head jumped three places, joining Marnus Labuschagne (1st) and Steve Smith (2nd) in the top three with a rating of 884. Usman Khawaja (9th, 777 rating points) makes it four Australians in the top 10.
The last time three batters from the same side occupied the top three positions in the Test rankings was in December 1984 when Gordon Greenidge (810), Clive Lloyd (787), and Larry Gomes (773) from West Indies formed the top trio.
Head faced just 174 balls in his attacking blitz, counter-attacking after Australia were wedged at 76/3 in the early stages of the second session, walking out as No.1 batter Labuschagne departed. Head batted alongside Smith in the rear-guard action, putting on a partnership of 285 to move the Australians in front early on day two. It proved to be the difference between India and Australia, with Rohit Sharma’s men unable to catch up in the game with a reply of runs.
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Alex Carey’s exploits (48 and 66*) were also rewarded with a jump of 11 spots, moving to 36th with 592 ranking points. Rohit Sharma (729) and Virat Kohli (700) sit in 12th and 13th respectively after the match.
On the bowling side the most newsworthy move came from Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon, moving up two places in a tie for sixth with England quick Ollie Robinson (777).
Lyon was given little opportunity to bowl in the first innings final after his quick-bowling teammates seized control, though claimed one wicket to help his side to a healthy first-innings lead. The spinner came into his own in India’s second innings, taking 4/41, including the last scalp of Umesh Yadav, for Australia to lift the mace.
Lower down the rankings Scott Boland’s stocks continue to rise, moving up five places to 36th (534), four places ahead of Mohammed Siraj, who claimed 4/108 and 1/80 in the defeat.
Ravichandran Ashwin, in spite of being left out of India’s side for the Final, remains No.1 (860).
There were no changes to the top ten in the Test All-Rounder rankings, though Cameron Green made a one-spot climb to 15th (178), with India’s Shardul Thakur, showing his qualities with ball and bat during the Test, moving up three spots to 31st.
Elsewhere, ODI rankings saw only minor shuffles after Afghanistan’s series with Sri Lanka, and UAE’s home series against the West Indies. Wanindu Hasaranga’s 3/7 in the final ODI against Afghanistan took him past Dhananjaya de Silva into 9th on the All-Rounder Rankings was the only noteworthy top-10 move.
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