Double-centurions Cook and Shoaib on the charge

England captain Alastair Cook has been rewarded for playing the longest innings for his country by earning a place in the top 10 of the ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen, which were released a day after the Abu Dhabi and Galle Tests.

Cook’s marathon 836 minutes of batting was the third longest in Tests, during which he scored 263 runs from 528 balls, as England was held to a draw after finishing at 74 for four while chasing 99 runs for victory.

Cook’s effort not only earned him the player of the match award but also gave him a jump of six places, which has put him inside the top 10 in eighth position. He now trails Pakistan’s sixth-ranked Younus Khan by 31 points, who celebrated the Abu Dhabi Test by becoming Pakistan’s leading run-getter.

The Test was also a memorable one for Shoaib Malik, who scored a double-century after missing 42 Tests for Pakistan. Shoaib has returned to the batting rankings just outside the top 50 in 53rd position.

Joe Root retained his fine form with the bat, which has helped him stay on course for reclaiming the number-one ranking. The Yorkshireman scored 85 and 33 not out, and, as a result, he has not only leapfrogged South Africa’s AB de Villers into second position but has reduced the gap with top-ranked Steven Smith to just 13 points.

There were career-best rankings for Dinesh Chandimal and Dimuth Karunaratne, who played leading roles in their side’s an innings and six runs victory over the West Indies in Galle.

Chandimal scored 151, which has given him a lift of six places for a career-best 22nd spot, while opener Karunaratne’s 186 has vaulted him 10 places to a career-high 28th position.

In the ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers, England’s James Anderson has returned to the top three in third position after rising two places. The Lancastrian took four wickets in the match, which has allowed him to narrow the gap with team-mate Stuart Broad to just 12 points.

Adil Rashid shrugged off the disappointment of remaining wicketless in the first innings by claiming five for 64 as he has entered the bowling chart in 96th position, while Shoaib Malik has returned in 93rd spot after claiming four wickets in the match.

Rangana Herath, who spun the West Indies out for 251 and 227 with figures of six for 68 and four for 79, has retained his ninth position but has earned 40 points. This means he now has Australia’s sixth-ranked Mitchell Johnson firmly within his sights as 17 points now separate the two bowlers.

Herath’s team-mate and fast bowler, Dhammika Prasad, meanwhile, has achieved a career-high ranking of 19th. Prasad took four wickets in the match, which has help him gain three places in the latest rankings.

Other bowlers to head in the right direction during the Abu Dhabi and Galle Test include, Ben Stokes 33rd (up by eight places), Wahab Riaz 44th (up by two places) and Nuwan Pradeep 55th (up by two places).

The bowlers’ list is headed by South Africa’s Dale Steyn.

There is no change in the top five all-rounders, however, Stokes has moved up four places to a career-high seventh position, while Angelo Mathews has slipped out of the top 10 in 11th spot.

ICC TEST PLAYER RANKINGS (as on 18 October, after Abu Dhabi and Galle Tests)

Batsmen

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Avge HS Ranking

1 ( - ) Steven Smith Aus 910 56.27 936 v Eng at Lord's 2015

2 (+1) Joe Root Eng 897 55.90 917 v Aus at Trent Bridge 2015

3 (-1) AB de Villiers SA 890 52.09 935 v Aus at Port Elizabeth 2014

4 ( - ) Hashim Amla SA 881 52.48 907 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2013

5 ( - ) A. Mathews SL 864 52.01 877 v NZ at Christchurch 2014

6 ( - ) Younus Khan Pak 819 53.92 880 v SL at Lahore 2009

7 ( - ) K. Williamson NZ 813 45.70 860 v Eng at Lord's 2015

8 (+6) Alastair Cook Eng 788 47.49 874 v Ind at Kolkata 2012

9 (-1) David Warner Aus 775 46.78 880 v Ind at Adelaide 2014

10 (-1) Chris Rogers Aus 761 42.87 793 v Eng at Lord's 2015

Selected rankings

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Avge HS Ranking

16 (-3) Misbah-ul-Haq Pak 705 47.69 842 v NZ at Abu Dhabi 2014

18 (+1) Asad Shafiq Pak 703 42.57 746 v SL at Galle 2015

19 (-3) Sarfraz Ahmed Pak 682* 47.44 715 v SL at Galle 2015

22 (+6) D. Chandimal SL 670*! 47.23 670 v WI at Galle 2015

28 (+10) D. Karunaratne SL 619! 36.42 619 v WI at Galle 2015

29 ( - ) Darren Bravo WI 595 41.20 709 v Aus at Trinidad 2012

30 (-3) Marlon Samuels WI 594 35.32 672 v Zim at Barbados 2013

31 ( - ) Ian Bell Eng 589 43.14 822 v Ind at The Oval 2011

32 (+1) M. Hafeez Pak 588 39.76 609 v Ban at Khulna 2015

34 (+3) J. Blackwood WI 574* 42.47 575 v Eng at Barbados 2015

43 ( - ) Ben Stokes Eng 518* 31.43 594 v Aus at Lord's 2015

45 ( - ) K. Brathwaite WI 512 33.50 591 v Eng at Grenada 2015

48 (-2) Moeen Ali Eng 505* 30.57 517 v Aus at The Oval 2015

53 (RE) Shoaib Malik Pak 447* 37.02 547 v SL at Colombo (SSC) 2009

58 (-5) Denesh Ramdin WI 434 26.10 493 v NZ at Barbados 2014

65 (-7) Jos Buttler Eng 409* 32.78 494 v NZ at Headingley 2015

68 (-4) Jonny Bairstow Eng 400* 26.21 461 v Aus at Durham 2013

Bowlers

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Avge HS Ranking

1 ( - ) Dale Steyn SA 905 22.48 909 v WI at Centurion 2014

2 ( - ) Stuart Broad Eng 831 29.23 852 v Aus at Trent Bridge 2015

3 (+2) James Anderson Eng 819 29.27 847 v WI at Barbados 2015

4 (-1) Trent Boult NZ 814 27.12 825 v Eng at Lord's 2015

5 (-1) Yasir Shah Pak 802* 24.81 810 v SL at Pallekele 2015

6 ( - ) Mitchell Johnson Aus 773 27.94 849 v Pak at Dubai 2014

7 ( - ) Vernon Philander SA 770 22.13 912 v Ind at Johannesburg 2013

8 ( - ) R. Ashwin Ind 760 28.44 808 v WI at Mumbai 2013

9 ( - ) Rangana Herath SL 756 29.68 851 v Pak at Colombo (SSC) 2014

10 ( - ) Tim Southee NZ 713 31.63 799 v WI at Jamaica 2014

Selected rankings

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Avge HS Ranking

19 (+3) D. Prasad SL 600*! 37.51 600 v WI at Galle 2015

24 ( - ) Jerome Taylor WI 541* 33.44 717 v Eng at Jamaica 2009

31 (-1) Moeen Ali Eng 448* 37.68 480 v Aus at Cardiff 2015

33 (+8) Ben Stokes Eng 442*! 38.36 442 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2015

34 (-1) Zulfiqar Babar Pak 436* 39.57 501 v NZ at Dubai 2014

41 (-1) Rahat Ali Pak 397* 37.27 399 v SL at Pallekele 2015

42 (+1) Devendra Bishoo WI 396* 37.29 426 v Ind at Delhi 2011

44 (+2) Wahab Riaz Pak 379* 33.34 389 v SL at Galle 2015

52 (+1) Jason Holder WI 333*! 35.41 333 v SL at Galle 2015

55 (+2) Nuwan Pradeep SL 316*! 46.44 316 v WI at Galle 2015

57 (-3) Shannon Gabriel WI 309* 37.03 360 v Zim at Dominica 2013

61 (-2) Mark Wood Eng 289* 38.85 306 v Aus at Cardiff 2015

69 (-4) T. Kaushal SL 258* 44.20 295 v Ind at Colombo (PSS) 2015

93 (RE) Shoaib Malik Pak 132* 56.52 142 v Eng at Trent Bridge 2010

96 (NEW) Adil Rashid Eng 112*! 45.40 112 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2015

All-rounders

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points HS Ranking

1 ( - ) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 384 419 v Zim at Khulna 2014

2 ( - ) R. Ashwin Ind 347 419 v WI at Mumbai 2013

3 ( - ) V. Philander SA 337*/ 376 v Aus at Cape Town 2014

4 ( - ) Stuart Broad Eng 297 382 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2012

5 ( - ) Mitchell Johnson Aus 263 384 v Eng at Cardiff 2009

*indicates provisional rating; a batsman qualifies for a full rating after playing 40 Test innings; a bowler qualifies for a full rating when he reaches 100 Test wickets.

!indicates career-highest rating