Thaindian News

Dubai, July 25 (ANI): Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara has toppled Gautam Gambhir from number-one Test batsman spot.

Sangakkara has returned to the top of the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen following his match-saving performance in the third Test against Pakistan in Colombo.

The 31-year-old compiled 130 not out in the second innings to go with his 45 the first time around and that was enough to lift him two places, above India’s Gambhir, who had been enjoying number-one position, and Pakistan skipper Younus Khan, who drops four places from second to sixth place in the latest rankings.

This is not the first time Sangakkara has been the number-one-ranked Test batsman having risen to that level at the end of 2007 and again during 2008. Such has been his consistency with the bat, the left-hander has not been out of the top five since the end of 2006.

There has been quite a bit of movement in the top 10 with Shivnarine Chanderpaul of the West Indies and Australia’s Michael Clarke both benefiting from Younus’s slip down the order.

Despite his 79 in the first innings of the third Test, former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardena drops one place to ninth position, just behind Graeme Smith of South Africa.

Further down the batting rankings, Shoaib Malik of Pakistan gains seven places to 38th position following his excellent second-innings century in the Colombo Test.

Shoaib’s team-mate Khurram Manzoor (up 18 places to 98th position) and Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews (up 11 places to 91st) have both broken into the top 100.

Danish Kaneria marked an impressive return to form in Colombo by gaining three places in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers and he now sits in 16th position, not far behind Jerome Taylor of the West Indies in 15th and England’s Andrew Flintoff one place further ahead. (ANI)