Starc reclaims top spot in latest ICC rankings

DUBAI Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc has reclaimed the number one position in the latest ICC Men's Test Bowling Rankings following an outstanding performance against South Africa in the third and final World Test Championship match in Cape Town. Starc climbed one place after taking nine wickets in the match, moving ahead of South African left-arm pacer Marco Jansen to regain the top position. Starc had first reached the summit in August after ending Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah's reign. However, Jansen subsequently overtook him following an impressive six-wicket performance in the second Test at Gqeberha. Jansen managed only three wickets in the Cape Town encounter, allowing Starc to return to the top with a career-best rating. Meanwhile, South African spinner Simon Harmer made significant progress, climbing nine places to seventh after taking six wickets in Australia's second innings. He now sits ahead of teammate Kagiso Rabada. Jansen, despite losing his position among Test bowlers, strengthened his lead in the Test all-rounders' rankings after achieving a career-high rating with a half-century in the final match. Teammates Wiaan Mulder and Harmer also climbed to third and fifth respectively. Several players, including Ryan Rickelton, made notable gains in the Test batting rankings. The latest ODI rankings also witnessed changes following the tri-series in Pakistan. Pakistan captain Shaheen Afridi moved to fifth among ODI bowlers, while Haris Rauf climbed to 24th. Fakhar Zaman advanced to 37th among batters. In the T20I rankings, India's Shreyas Iyer gained two places to reach seventh among batters following his team's series triumph in New Zealand. New Zealand's Glenn Phillips also climbed to 24th. Afghanistan's Azmatullah Omarzai moved to third among T20I all-rounders after an impressive series against Zimbabwe, completing a significant round of changes across international cricket rankings.