At age 40, an English seasoned player tops Australia’s Pat Cummins in the ICC Test rankings. On Wednesday, the ageless and swing maestro James Anderson changed the record books by topping the ICC Test rankings at the age of 40.
James Anderson in the top ICC Test rankings
The Australian pacer Pat Cummins’ four-year reign as the greatest Test bowler came to an end as the English pacer beat him to take the top rank for the sixth time in his remarkable career in the ICC Test rankings. James Anderson rose to the top thanks to his seven wickets against New Zealand in England’s opening Test. On Mount Maunganui last week, England easily defeated the Black Caps by 267 runs.
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In May 2016, the fast bowler overtook Stuart Broad and R Ashwin of India to take the top rank in Test bowling for the first time. Before to handing it up to South African pacer Kagiso Rabada in November of the same year, James Anderson held the top position for five months in 2018. With England having won 10 of their previous 11 Test matches, the right-arm wizard has discovered a new lease on life under new coach Brendon McCullum.
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The bulk of the victories included James Anderson in a significant way. In terms of Test wickets, the experienced spinner from England ranks third (682) after the greats Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan (800). He was 40 years and 207 days old when he reached the top, making him the oldest bowler to hold the top rank since Australian great Clarrie Grimmett did so in 1936.
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James Anderson’s advantage at the top is, however, rather shaky since Indian spinner Ashwin, who is now ranked second with 864 rating points and is only two rating points behind the England bowler, is close behind. Cummins has also dropped to third place with 858 rating points, but if he plays well in the current four-match series against India, he has a chance to climb back up the rankings. Yet, Cummins’ team hasn’t been at their best, losing the first two games.
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