KARACHI: Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal has achieved a career-best ranking in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Player Rankings for ODI bowlers after producing a man of the match performance in the second Test in Dubai which has given his side a 1-0 lead against Sri Lanka in the three-Test series.
Saeed had figures of 26-9-45-3 and 30.5-9-68-5 which have helped him become the highest-ranked Pakistan bowler in 16th position. For his excellent performance, Saeed earned 62 ratings points and a jump of eight places, said a latest ICC ranking issued on Sunday.
The 34-year-old from Faisalabad is also ranked sixth and second in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI and T20I bowlers, respectively. Given that Saeed is in a qualification period for bowlers, it is likely that he will move even further up the ladder depending on how he performs in the Sharjah Test which starts from November 3.
Saeed presently trails ninth-ranked Daniel Vettori of New Zealand and England's Tim Bresnan by 29 ratings points but another solid performance will potentially help him break into the top 10 for the first time in his career.
Saeed's spin partner Abdul Rehman has also gained two places after match figures of 4-105 and is now in 29th position, while left-arm fast bowler Junaid Khan has vaulted 21 places to claim 46th position after match figures of 4-95.
Rangana Herath and Umar Gul, however, have moved in the opposite direction and have slipped one position each to 12th and 20th spots, respectively.
The bowlers' list is still headed by Dale Steyn of South Africa while James Anderson and Graeme Swann of England are in second and third positions, respectively.
In the ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen, Sri Lanka's former captain Mahela Jayawardena has dropped out of the top 20 for the first time in 11 years. He has slipped six places to 25th position after managing scores of six and five in the second Test. Jayawardena was last out of the top 20 in July 2000 after the Kandy Test against South Africa.
Also slipping down the ladder are Dilshan in 34th (down by two places) and Taufeeq Umar in 51st (down by four places).
Batsmen moving up the order include Pakistan's Azhar Ali whose maiden Test century has given him a jump of six places and puts him in 27th spot while Asad Shafiq has gained 13 places and is now in 77th spot after scoring 59. Opener Mohammad Hafeez has gained four places and now occupies 56th position after scores of 33 and 59 not out.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has an opportunity to move up the order in the ICC Test Championship table. If Pakistan also wins the Sharjah Test, then it will earn six ratings points while Sri Lanka will concede six ratings points.
However, if the Test ends in a draw then Sri Lanka will stay in fifth position, though its pre-series lead of nine ratings points will be trimmed to just one ratings point. If Sri Lanka squares the series, then the gap between the two sides will be reduced to seven ratings points.
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