South African pacer Kagiso Rabada has stormed to the pole position of the ICC Rankings for the Test bowlers after he played a clinical role in winning the first Test against India at Newlands, Capetown.
Rabada has displaced the previous topper, James Anderson, who had a paltry outing in the Ashes series where his side suffered a hammering of 4-0 by Australia. Anderson’s rating went down by 10 points and as a result, he is now 2nd in the ranking.
Delighted with the No.1 rank, Kagiso Rabada said, “It’s special to be ranked as the No.1 Test bowler in the world. It is a surreal feeling. It’s what you dream of achieving when you start playing the game.”
“Cricket is ultimately a team sport and I’m thankful for the support from my teammates. It’s a great start to the year personally and for us as a team, hopefully, we can continue putting in winning performances,” he added.
Vernon Philander, who bagged 9 wickets at Newlands that included a match-winning 6-wicket haul in the 2nd innings, has helped him break into the top 10 as he has jumped from 12th to the 6th slot. India’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the other who has gained from his impressive performance as he rose to his career-best 22nd slot.
When it comes to the batsmen, England’s skipper Joe Root has attained the 2nd rank behind Steve Smith who remains at the top. Cheteshwar Pujara, who was earlier positioned at No.3 has now dropped to 5. Hashim Amla has dropped 3 places and is now placed at 10th as opposed to the previous No.7.
ICC Test Teams’ Rankings
| Rank | Team | Matches | Points | Rating |
| 1 | India | 40 | 4,969 | 124 |
| 2 | South Africa | 35 | 3,888 | 111 |
| 3 | Australia | 40 | 4,174 | 104 |
| 4 | New Zealand | 35 | 3,489 | 100 |
| 5 | England | 49 | 4,829 | 99 |
| 6 | Sri Lanka | 43 | 4,058 | 94 |
| 7 | Pakistan | 34 | 2,988 | 88 |
| 8 | West Indies | 36 | 2,606 | 72 |
| 9 | Bangladesh | 23 | 1,651 | 72 |
| 10 | Zimbabwe | 14 | 12 | 1 |
ICC Test Batsmen’s Rankings
| Rank | Player | Team | Rating |
| 1 | Steve Smith | Australia | 947 |
| 2 | Joe Root | England | 881 |
| 3 | Virat Kohli | India | 880 |
| 4 | Kane Williamson | New Zealand | 855 |
| 5 | Cheteshwar Pujara | India | 848 |
| 6 | David Warner | Australia | 827 |
| 7 | Azhar Ali | Pakistan | 755 |
| 8 | Dinesh Chandimal | Sri Lanka | 743 |
| 9 | Alastair Cook | England | 742 |
| 10 | Hashim Amla | South Africa | 740 |
ICC Test Bowlers’ Rankings
| Rank | Player | Team | Rating |
| 1 | Kagiso Rabada | South Africa | 888 |
| 2 | James Anderson | England | 887 |
| 3 | Ravindra Jadeja | India | 861 |
| 4 | Ravichandran Ashwin | India | 830 |
| 5 | Josh Hazlewood | Australia | 814 |
| 6 | Vernon Philander | South Africa | 806 |
| 7 | Rangana Herath | Sri Lanka | 799 |
| 8 | Neil Wagner | New Zealand | 784 |
| 9 | Mitchell Starc | Australia | 769 |
| 9 | Nathan Lyon | Australia | 769 |
ICC Test All-Rounders’ Rankings
| Rank | Player | Team | Rating |
| 1 | Shakib Al Hasan | BAN | 438 |
| 2 | Ravindra Jadeja | India | 406 |
| 3 | Ravichandran Ashwin | India | 385 |
| 4 | Ben Stokes | England | 358 |
| 5 | Vernon Philander | South Africa | 331 |
| 6 | Moeen Ali | England | 297 |
| 7 | Mitchell Starc | Australia | 291 |
| 8 | Rangana Herath | Sri Lanka | 216 |
| 9 | Jason Holder | Windies | 208 |
| 10 | Dilruwan Perera | Sri Lanka | 206 |
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