Multan heroics propel Warrican to career high as Windies stars climb ICC charts

West Indies left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican has made a remarkable ascent in the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings, leading a group of Caribbean players who have climbed the charts following their impressive performances in the recent Test series against Pakistan.

Warrican’s phenomenal nine-wicket haul in the second Test in Multan, which earned him Player of the Match honors, has catapulted him 16 spots to 25th place. His stellar series, where he bagged 19 wickets in two matches, also saw him claim the Player of the Series award and surge 28 places overall.

“We put in a lot of hard work,” Warrican said after the series. “It’s rewarding to see those efforts translate into performances that help the team.”

Windies bowlers on the rise

Fellow West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach has also inched forward, climbing one place to 18th, reinforcing his status as one of the most consistent pacers in international cricket. Meanwhile, left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie made a notable leap, advancing six places to 58th after a strong showing.

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On the Pakistan side, Noman Ali etched his name in history, becoming the first Pakistani spinner to take a Test hat-trick, finishing with 10 for 121 in the match. His exceptional performance propelled him four spots to a career-best fifth place in the rankings with 806 rating points. Notably, he is now Pakistan’s only bowler inside the top 20.

His teammates Sajid Khan (up two places to 21st) and Abrar Ahmed (up two places to 50th) also saw gains in their rankings.

Brathwaite moves up the batting charts

In the batting rankings, West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite capitalized on his gritty second-innings half-century during the Windies’ 120-run victory, climbing eight places to 44th.

For Pakistan, wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan continues his ascent toward the top 10, jumping from 17th to 15th, as he remains a pivotal figure in the team’s batting line-up.

In the shorter format, England’s Adil Rashid has reclaimed the No. 1 position in the ICC Men’s T20I Bowling Rankings, ending Akeal Hosein’s brief 44-day reign at the top. Rashid’s precise spells of 1 for 14 and 1 for 15 in the second and third T20Is against India helped England reduce the series deficit to 2-1 and propelled him back to the summit.

This marks Rashid’s second stint as the top-ranked T20I bowler, having previously held the position from December 2023 to December 2024.

Tilak Varma closes in on T20I batting crown

India’s Tilak Varma has made a meteoric rise to a career-best second place in the T20I batting rankings, courtesy of an unbeaten 71 in the second match against England. His 832 rating points rank as the fourth-highest ever for an Indian batter in T20Is, behind Suryakumar Yadav, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul.

At just 22 years and 82 days old, Varma sits a mere 23 rating points behind Australia’s Travis Head, putting him on the cusp of becoming the youngest player to ever top the T20I batting rankings. The record is currently held by Babar Azam, who achieved the feat at 23 years and 105 days old in January 2018.

Other notable movers include: Liam Livingstone (up five places to 32nd); Abhishek Sharma (up 59 places to 40th); Varun Chakravarthy (up 25 places to a career-best fifth in bowling); Jofra Archer (up 13 places to sixth); Axar Patel (up five places to 11th); Hardik Pandya (up eight places to 43rd).

With the rankings landscape shifting, all eyes will be on the upcoming fixtures as players battle for supremacy across formats.

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