Well some good news amid test gloom
**Pakistan’s Mohammad Asif has climbed two places to second position in the latest ICC rankings for Test bowlers despite his side’s defeat to Australia at Lord’s on Friday. **
The 27-year-old paceman, who has played in 18 Tests, took three wickets each in both Australian innings to edge past Mitchell Johnson, the Australian left-arm fast bowler who has now slipped to fourth place after picking up a solitary wicket in the same Test.
It is Asif’s highest ranking to date but he still has some way to go if he wants to catch South Africa’s Dale Steyn who currently tops the list.
Further down the table, Asif’s team-mate Umar Gul has broken into the top 20 after leaping five places to occupy joint 18th place alongside Australia’s Peter Siddle.
Meanwhile, Australia’s Shane Watson has vaulted nine places to take 43rd place after the all-rounder took a career-best 5-40 during the match while his team-mate Marcus North rises 28 places to 61st after he took a career-best 6-55 to help seal victory for the Australians.
In the rankings for Test batsmen the most noticeable mover is Australia’s Simon Katich who has risen six places to take joint sixth place with West Indies’ Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
Katich’s innings of 80 and 83 have seen the 34-year-old move above India’s Sachin Tendulkar in a log that is currently headed by India’s Virender Sehwag with former Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene close behind in second.
Australia’s captain and vice-captain have dropped a place each in the rankings with Ricky Ponting now sitting 16th and Michael Clarke in fifth place.
Further down the table, Pakistan’s new captain Salman Butt has climbed nine places to claim 32nd position while his team-mate Umar Akmal has dropped four places to 36th in the rankings.
South African Jacques Kallis still tops the all-rounders’ rankings, followed by Daniel Vettori of New Zealand and Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan. Johnson has dropped out of the top five though and now occupies sixth place.—Agencies
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