Younis Khan jumps to second position in ICC Test rankings

Veteran Pakistan batsman Younis Khan jumped three places to reach the second spot in the latest ICC Test rankings that came out after the conclusion of the second Test between Pakistan and West Indies. Their 133 run win over West Indies helped Pakistan take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-Test series. Younis had missed the first Test due to a minor bout of dengue.

West Indies’ dismal showing meant that Darren Bravo slipped out of the top-20. Kraigg Brathwaite, who scored a fighting 67 in the final innings, moved three places to reach the 32^nd rank. Jermaine Blackwood took a big leap of 11 places after falling just five short of his second Test ton in the fourth innings.

Along with Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq is another Pakistani batsman who features in the top-10. The 42-year old gained one place to reach the 10^th spot after scoring 96 in the first innings of the match.

Younis had reached the top of the rankings in 2009 after scoring a triple century against Sri Lanka. Steven Smith still leads the batting charts, with Joe Root, Hashim Amla and Kane Williamson occupying the third, fourth and fifth position respectively.

Yasir Shah, with another 10-wicket haul in a match, jumped back into the top-5, having held the top position after his stunning performance against England a few months back. Rahat Ali and Shannon Gabriel also achieved career best rankings after a good outing with the ball in the second Test.

19-year old spinner Mehedi Hassan entered the 61^st spot with figures of six for 80 in his debut innings at Chittagong. He was part of the Bangladesh team that participated in the U-19 World Cup last year, finishing third.

Ben Stokes, who received the Man of the Match award in the Chittagong Test, gained eight places to reach 36. Apart from scoring 85 in the second innings, he picked up six wickets in the match to move to 23^rd in the bowlers’ rankings.

ICC batsmen’s top 10

Rank	Player	Ranking Points
1	Steve Smith (AUS)	906
2	Younis Khan (PAK)	860
3	Joe Root (ENG)	852
4	Hashim Amla (SA)	847
5	Kane Williamson (NZ)	841
6	Ajinkya Rahane (IND)	825
7	Adam Voges (AUS)	802
8	AB de Villiers (RSA)	802
9	David Warner (AUS)	772
10	Misbah-ul-Haq (PAK)	765

ICC bowler’s top 10

Rank	Player	Ranking Points
1	Ravichandran Ashwin (IND)	900
2	Dale Steyn (RSA)	878
3	James Anderson (ENG)	861
4	Rangana Herath (SL)	831
5	Stuart Broad (ENG)	829
=5	Yasir Shah (PAK)	829
7	Ravindra Jadeja (IND)	805
8	Mitchell Starc (AUS)	792
9	Neil Wagner (NZ)	731
10	Vernon Philander (RSA)	723