DUBAI: England veteran pacer James Anderson ended the supremacy of Australia captain Pat Cummins on the ICC Test bowlers’ rankings after four years.
Veteran Anderson dethroned Cummins to become the No.1 Test bowler in the ICC rankings, on the back of his seven-wicket haul during England’s dominant 267-run win over the Black Caps in Mount Maunganui last week.
At the ripe age of 40 years and 207 days, Anderson is also the oldest player to claim top billing in the rankings – a record which was earlier held by the Australian leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmett back in 1936.
“It is the sixth time that Anderson has held the title as the premier bowler on the Test rankings, with the right-armer first scaling the heights back in May 2016 when he went past teammate Stuart Broad and Ashwin to hold top billing.” said International Cricket Council on its website.
Anderson has been a mainstay in England’s bowling attack in the longest format of the game since he made his debut way back in 2003. He has taken a total of 682 Test scalps to be third on the all-time list of leading wicket-takers behind spin duo Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708).
“Anderson’s lead at the top is very slender though, with Ashwin remaining in second place on a total of 864 rating points and just two rating points behind the England pacer.” added ICC.
Cummins, who drops to third with 858 rating points, has a chance to regain the top spot through solid performances during Australia’s ongoing Test series against India.
On the other hand, Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga has surpassed Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan to top the T20I bowling rankings, as a consequence of Rashid’s unimpressive showing in the three matches against UAE held recently during which he took only four wickets
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