Stuart Broad

England veteran makes rankings jump before India and Australia go toe-to-toe in WTC Final

Stuart Broad

Claiming 5/51 and 1/62 across two innings in the Test against Ireland, Broad jumped two places to 10th (744 rating points), joining teammates James Anderson (2nd, 850) and Ollie Robinson (7th, 777) in the top 10.

Broad had appeared briefly in the top 10 earlier in the year while on tour in New Zealand, though has spent most of the World Test Championship 2021-2023 cycle outside the top 10.

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The 36-year-old bowled a healthy share of overs (31.2) in the Ireland Test, and looks primed for England ahead of a home Ashes series, beginning on 16 June.

While there were a number of commendable performers with the ball in England's victory in the one-off Test, it was the batters who enjoyed bigger rankings jumps.

Celebrating a double century was Ollie Pope, jumping 10 places to 23rd (637) as a result, with fellow centurion Ben Duckett moving to 34th (up eight spots) with a rating of 602.

Ireland showed resistance with the bat in response, and a number of players saw jumps in their player rankings as a result. Andy McBrine's 86* saw him go up 28 places (282 points), with Mark Adair's 88 (76*) resulting in a 32-spot climb.

Looking forward to the World Test Championship Final at The Oval, the top-ranked Test players of each rankings discipline are set to feature, as well as a number of players poised to move higher.

Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne goes into the winner-takes-all showdown as the top-ranked batter in the world, with teammate Steve Smith in third position, 43 rating points behind Labuschagne’s aggregate of 915.

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India captain Rohit Sharma is the top-ranked batter from his side, in 11th position, and with a chance of re-entering the top 10. Virat Kohli sits only two spots behind his skipper, and could move up with a strong performance.

Ravichandran Ashwin leads the bowling rankings (869 rating points), with Australia captain Pat Cummins not far behind in third position (841) and in striking distance of top position.

Ravindra Jadeja and Ashwin are one and two on the All-Rounder rankings, while Mitchell Starc entering the WTC Final as their highest-ranked all-rounder in eighth position.

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The ODI Player Rankings have also seen a number of shuffles, thanks to two bilateral series in UAE and Sri Lanka.

The most notable move comes from Sri Lanka's Dhananjaya de Silva, moving up three spots to ninth (228 points) on the All-Rounder rankings. He edges teammate Wanindu Hasaranga (10th, 225 points), as they both face a tough Afghanistan outfit.

On the Afghan side, Ibrahim Zadran's scores of 98 and 54 in the series thus far have moved him up 20 spots (625) to 24th position in the batting rankings, his highest ever position.

In a similar vein to Sri Lanka, the West Indies and UAE are preparing for the Cricket World Cup Qualifier with a series in Dubai, though marked rankings movements have been few and far between.

Brandon King's 112 and 64 in the victories for the West Indies resulted in a jump of 29 places in the batting rankings, while Keemo Paul has marked his return with a 17-spot jump in the bowling rankings. Odean Smith and Yannic Cariah have also seen jumps of 14 and 39 spots respectively from a starting point further down the list.