Pakistan spinner Noman Ali closes in on Bumrah’s No.1 Test bowling ranking

India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah retained the No.1 position in the ICC Men’s Test bowler rankings, though the latest update has seen a shake-up among Indian players and increased competition from Pakistan.

Fellow quick Mohammed Siraj made a strong re-entry into the ODI rankings, climbing to 17th place following a stellar performance in the series-opener against Australia in Perth. This marks Siraj’s first appearance in the rankings in over a year, reflecting his return to form in white-ball cricket.

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Bumrah, however, saw his lead at the top of the Test bowling charts trimmed to just 29 points by Pakistan’s Noman Ali, who reached a career-best second place after a match-winning effort against South Africa in Lahore.

Noman’s 10-wicket haul in Pakistan’s 93-run win earned him a jump of four places, taking his tally to 853 rating points. His teammate Shaheen Afridi also made strides, rising three spots to 19th following a four-wicket burst in the same Test.

Among Pakistan’s batters, Mohammad Rizwan moved up four places to 16th, Babar Azam climbed two to 22nd while Salman Agha jumped eight spots to 30th. The Test batting rankings continued to be led by England’s Joe Root, who remained firmly on top.

In the South African camp, Ryan Rickelton composed 71 in the first innings against Pakistan earned him a debut in the top 50, while Tony de Zorzi’s century propelled him to 54th in the list.

Elsewhere, standout performances in limited-overs cricket brought gains for several Australian and English players. In Perth, Australia’s stand-in skipper Mitchell Marsh climbed two spots to 42nd in the ODI batting rankings after his Player-of-the-Match display against India.

Pacers Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc also moved up to 10th and 21st, respectively, among ODI bowlers.

Bangladesh spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz gained six places to move to 18th, continuing his consistent run against the West Indies.

Meanwhile, England’s T20I side benefited from their series victory over New Zealand in Christchurch. Harry Brook surged 18 places to reach 20th among T20I batters while leg-spinner Adil Rashid climbed three spots to third in the T20I bowling rankings.

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