Both Bumrah and Ashwin picked 11 wickets each in Bangladesh series but ICC’s calculation method allowed the seamer to reclaim top spot in rankings
Jasprit Bumrah has reclaimed the top spot in the ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings for bowlers. The Indian pacer achieved this after taking six wickets in India’s recent seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh in Kanpur.
While both Bumrah and Ashwin claimed 11 wickets each in the two-Test series vs Bangladesh, improvement on past records helped the seamer rise to top of the table.
How ICC calculates points:
“Players are rated on a scale of 0 to 1000 points. If a player’s performance is improving on his past record, his points increase; if his performance is declining his points will go down. The value of each player’s performance within a match is calculated using an algorithm, a series of calculations (all pre-programmed) based on various circumstances in the match. There is no human intervention in this calculation process, and no subjective assessment is made. There are slightly different factors for each of the different formats of the game.”
Bumrah picked five wickets in the Chennai Test which included a brilliant four-fer in the first innings. He remained second in the bowlers’ standings, holding 854 points, close behind Ashwin. Ashwin’s six-wicket haul in the same Test solidified his position at the top with 871 points.
In the second Test, Bumrah secured six wickets while Ashwin took five. Following this match, Bumrah’s points swelled to 870, just one ahead of the experienced off-spinner.
Rise and rise of Yashasvi Jaiswal
Jaiswal was named Player of the Match in the second Test against Bangladesh for scoring fifties in both the innings and the young opener gained two places to third in the latest Test batter rankings. The consistency with which he is batting, it’s a matter of time before he takes that top spot.
Jaiswal is now behind only England’s Joe Root and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson in the rankings. Virat Kohli too re-entered the top 10 after his scores of 47 and 29* in Kanpur.