THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
Dubai, Dec 24: Australian cricketers registered major gains in the latest ICC Men’s Test Rankings released on Wednesday, following their commanding 82-run win over England in the third Test at Adelaide, a result that also ensured the Ashes remained with Australia.
Opener Travis Head emerged as one of the biggest movers after his outstanding run in the series, jumping four places to reach joint third in the Test batting rankings with 815 rating points.
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He now shares the position with teammate Steve Smith and sits ahead of England’s Harry Brook, who slipped to fourth. Head has been the leading run-scorer in the ongoing five-match Ashes series, amassing 379 runs from three Tests at an impressive average of 63.16.
Wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey also made notable progress, breaking into the top 10 of the batting rankings. His century in the first innings at Adelaide propelled him six places up to ninth, giving him a career-best rating of 737. Carey has been in strong form throughout the series, registering three scores of fifty or more.
Despite the Australian surge, England’s Joe Root retained his position at the top of the Test batting rankings with 887 points, while New Zealand’s Kane Williamson continued to hold second place with 822 points.
In the bowling charts, Australia captain Pat Cummins climbed four spots to second with 849 rating points after taking six wickets in his comeback Test at Adelaide. He now trails India’s Jasprit Bumrah by just 30 points at the top. Mitchell Starc, who claimed four wickets in the same match to take his series tally to 22, is at third in the bowling rankings.
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In the all-rounders’ list, India’s Ravindra Jadeja remained firmly at the top with 455 rating points. Mitchell Starc moved up two places to third with 311 points, sharing the spot with England skipper Ben Stokes.
