ICC Test Rankings: Smith Retains Top Spot, Kohli At No 2

Steve Smith amassed 293 runs from 2 innings in the fourth Test and as a result, he has further consolidated his position

Australian batsman Steve Smith has extended his lead over India skipper Virat Kohli at the number one spot in the ICC Test batsmen rankings. The former Aussie skipper now has a lead of 34 points over Kohli as the rankings were revealed on Tuesday. The 30-year-old batsmen scored 293 (211+82) runs in the fourth Test and as a result, he has further consolidated his position. With this, he is virtually assured of the top spot after the end of the five-match series between Australia and England. Aussie pacer Pat Cummins also remains at the top spot in the bowler rankings. The bowler took seven wickets in the recently concluded match and as a result, he has 63-rating points ahead of the second-placed Proteas bowler Kagiso Rabada. India's Jasprit Bumrah is positioned at the third place. Josh Hazlewood has also entered the top ten for the first time in his career. He has moved to eighth place. Afghanistan's 224-run win over Bangladesh in Chattogram has also resulted in major gains for their players. Skipper Rashid Khan's player of the match effort of 11 for 104 has lifted him from 69th to 37th position in the bowling rankings. Former Afghan captain Asghar Afghan's scores of 92 and 50 have taken him from 110th to 63rd position while Rahmat Shah's century in the first innings has helped him move from 93rd to 65th.