Yasir Shah ranked no. 1 Test bowler
Leg-spinner Yasir Shah has become the number-one ranked bowler in the world after he bowled Pakistan to 75 runs victory over England in the first Test at Lord’s on Sunday.
Yasir is the first Pakistan bowler to top rankings since Mushtaq Ahmed achieved the distinction in December 1996, while Shane Warne was the last wrist spinner to surge to the number-one position in December 2005, reports ICC’s media release.
Yasir, who returned figures of six for 72 and four for 69, has leapfrogged India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and England’s fast bowling pair of James Anderson (who missed the Test due to an injury) and Stuart Broad into the top spot after his achievement earned him 32 points.
Pakistani bowler won the player of the match award in his first Test outside Asia and now leads Ashwin by seven points and Anderson by 10 points.
The 30-year-old looks strong to gain further points and create more daylight between him and rest of the field as he is still in the qualification period. A bowler qualifies for a full rating after he has taken 100 wickets, while Yasir has so far claimed 86 wickets in 13 Tests.
Bowlers (top 10)
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Avge HS Rating
1 (+3) Yasir Shah Pak 878*! 23.00 878 v Eng at Lord's 2016
2 ( - ) R. Ashwin Ind 871! 25.39 871 v SA at Delhi 2015
3 (-2) James Anderson Eng 868 28.33 884 v SL at Durham 2016
4 (-1) Stuart Broad Eng 859 28.34 880 v SA at Johannesburg 2016
5 ( - ) Dale Steyn SA 841 22.53 909 v WI at Centurion 2014
6 ( - ) Ravindra Jadeja Ind 789*! 23.76 789 v SA at Delhi 2015
7 ( - ) Trent Boult NZ 757 29.14 825 v Eng at Lord's 2015
8 ( - ) Josh Hazlewood Aus 741* 25.77 792 v WI at Hobart 2015
9 ( - ) Morne Morkel SA 724 29.33 776 v Aus at Cape Town 2011
10 ( - ) Vernon Philander SA 717 22.08 912 v Ind at Johannesburg 2013