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Bumrah rises to the top


By ICC
Published : 07 Feb 2024 09:15 PM

Jasprit Bumrah's place as the best fast bowler in the world is confirmed following news that the India quick has claimed the No.1 spot on the latest ICC Men's Test Bowler rankings.

Bumrah rises to the top for the first time on the back of his tremendous match figures of 9/91 during his side's series-equalling 106-run victory over England in the second Test in Vizag, an effort that saw the right-arm pacer become the first quick from India claim the top Test ranking.

The nine-wicket haul saw Bumrah earn Player of the Match honours in the second Test and climb three places on the latest Test rankings for bowlers to claim top spot from teammate Ravichandran Ashwin.

Ashwin - who has held the premier ranking since March last year - managed just three wickets for India in that same match and drops two places to third on the updated rankings for Test bowlers, with South Africa pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada maintaining his place in second despite sitting out the Proteas' Test series in New Zealand.

It is the first time Bumrah has held the top ranking, with the 30-year-old having never been previously higher than third despite a total of 10 five-wicket hauls for his country from 34 Test match appearances.

Two of those five-wicket hauls have come in Test matches in 2024 for Bumrah, with the India pacer collecting figures of 6/61 against South Africa in Cape Town at the start of the year and then an equally impressive spel of 6/45 in his most recent appearance against England.

Bumrah is just the fourth player from India - and first fast bowler - to top the bowling charts, with Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Bishan Bedi, the only players from the Asian country to have done so previously.