Few days before the start of the five-match Test series against India, England pace spearhead, James Anderson has regained the top spot in the ICC Test bowling rankings, released on Tuesday. The veteran pacer displaced South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada who had a decent outing in Sri Lanka.
The Proteas star picked up eight wickets in the two-nil defeat. However, his efforts were not enough for him to remain on the top of the rankings. The right-arm pacer now trails Anderson by ten points.
James Anderson, who claimed nine wickets in England’s drawn two-Test series at home to Pakistan earlier this summer, has 892 points, with Rabada on 882.
The top-ranked Indian in the list is Ravindra Jadeja. The left-arm spinner is third on the list with 866 points followed by Vernon Philander and Ravichandran Ashwin.
Among batsmen, Dimuth Karunaratne rose to number seven after a player of the series performance. In a series where none of the other batsmen could make much of an impact, Karunaratne was an exception. He scored 158*, 60, 53 and 85 to finish the series with 356 runs.
Banned Australia batsman Steven Smith continues to lead the batting charts. He is followed by Virat Kohli, Joe Root and Kane Williamson.
Meanwhile, James Anderson is warming up in style for the Test series against India. He bowled for the first time in first-team cricket since June. He had taken six weeks off after the two-Test series against Pakistan.
The right-arm pacer bowled 24 overs across Yorkshire’s two innings against Lancashire, dismissing Adam Lyth and England Test captain Joe Root. Anderson is more than likely to lead England’s pace attack against India.
