Johnson keen to remove Steyn

Australian bowler joins South Africa’s best in second place on Reliance Mobile ICC player rankings for Test bowlers; Chanderpaul reclaims number one spot in the batting rankings

England drops to sixth in Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship after losing series against West Indies

Fast bowler Mitchell Johnson from Australia has joined South Africa’s Dale Steyn in second place of the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers after taking 4-115 in the second Test between the two countries in Durban.

The 27-year-old left-armer has taken a total of 12 wickets for 252 runs so far this series and the final Cape Town Test could be the chance for the Queenslander to overtake Steyn as the sole holder of the number-two spot in the rankings table; the number-one place is still held by Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralidaran.

Further down the top 20 there has been some movement, with Pakistan’s Umar Gul climbing five places to take 13th position, while Gul’s team-mate Danish Kaneria has dropped four spots to 17th position. India’s Ishant Sharma has re-entered the top 20, after South Africa’s Paul Harris dropped to 22nd place.

Outside of the 20, Australia’s Peter Siddle has climbed eight places to 31st while Siddle’s team-mate Andrew McDonald has jumped 11 places to 55th. England’s Graeme Swann, who took a total of 19 wickets in his side’s series defeat to the West Indies, has gained seven places to take 34th place.

England’s defeat in the West Indies has had repercussions for it in the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship. Andrew Strauss’s men have dropped down to sixth on the ladder to the benefit of Pakistan which has assumed fifth place. The victory for Chris Gayle’s men was their first Test series win over England since 2004, but they have not risen above their seventh place position on the table.

As reported yesterday, Australia continues its stronghold at the top of the table after their series win over South Africa, with one Test still to play in Cape Town on 19 March. Crucially, Ricky Ponting’s team will now definitely be number one in the world when the annual cut-off date comes along on 1 April ensuring the Test Championship mace and a cheque for US$175,000 will return with them to Australia.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen, the West Indies’ Shivnarine Chanderpaul has reclaimed the number one ranking after an impressive 147 not out in the final Test against England at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad.

Ponting has climbed up one place to take fourth position, while Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardena has dropped down to fifth. South Africa’s Jacques Kallis has risen one place to 11th in the rankings after an impressive 93 runs in the second innings of the Durban Test against Australia, Kallis overtakes India’s Virender Sehwag who has dropped one place to 12th.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s Thilan Samaweera has entered the top 20 for the first time and claimed his highest ranking to date of 17th place. The 32-year-old from Colombo scored two double-centuries in as many matches and that effort has pushed him six places higher in the rankings. India’s Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman are currently tied in 18th place alongside Gayle who has risen in the rankings after an enjoyable time of it against the England bowlers.

Outside of the top 20, India’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni has risen one place to 32, while England wicketkeeper Matt Prior has climbed eight spots to take 38th place alongside New Zealand’s Jacob Oram.

Australia’s newest batting star, Philip Hughes has climbed a substantial 20 places to 41st in the rankings after scoring two centuries in the Durban Test. The 20-year-old New South Welshman is currently averaging 87.5 from his two Test match performances for Australia as he gets his career off to a flying start.

South Africa’s Jean-Paul Duminy is also heading in the right direction after his performances with the bat have seen him rise another 24 places in the rankings to 45th position, the best ranking of his career to date. Another notable addition to the top 100 is West Indies’ Brendan Nash who has risen 14 places to claim 51st position.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders there has been no change at the top, with South Africa’s Kallis still leading the way. Gayle has re-joined the top five, however, pushing out Sri Lanka’s Charminda Vaas in the process.

For more information on the ICC Player Rankings go to: www.reliancemobileiccrankings.com

For more information on the ICC Test Championship rankings go to:www.icc-cricket.com