ICC Test Rankings: Head, Cummins rise after Australia's Ashes win
What's the story
Australia's players have made significant strides in the latest ICC Men's Test Player Rankings. The surge comes after Australia's 82-run victory over England in Adelaide, which helped them retain the Ashes with a 3-0 lead. Travis Head was the biggest gainer among batters, scoring an incredible 170 off 219 balls in the second innings. Meanwhile, Pat Cummins took six wickets on his Test return.
Ranking boost
Head's performance propels him to joint-third
Head's stellar performance has catapulted him to the joint-third spot in the Test batting rankings. Climbing four places, he has 815 rating points. Head now shares this spot with his teammate Steve Smith and is ahead of England's Harry Brook (813). Head currently has the most runs in the ongoing Ashes series, having scored 379 runs in six innings at an impressive average of 63.16.
Keeper's climb
Carey's century takes him to top 10
Australian wicket-keeper Alex Carey has also made it to the top 10 among batters after his first-innings ton in Adelaide. The knock helped him climb six places to ninth with a career-best rating of 737. Carey has been in sublime form, recording three 50-plus scores in the series so far. According to Cricbuzz, Carey became the fourth Australian wicket-keeper to have scored a century in the Ashes
Kiwi gains
New Zealand batters gain
New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway also made strides in the rankings after a 2-0 Test series victory over the West Indies. Ravindra's scores of 72* and 46* helped him soar five places to 13th in the batting rankings. Meanwhile, scores of 227 and 100 propelled Conway to a career-high rating of 681, putting him joint-17th with South Africa's Aiden Markram.
Bowling boost
Cummins rises in bowling rankings
In the bowling rankings, Australia's captain Pat Cummins has climbed four spots to second with a rating of 849. Playing his first Test after recovering from an injury, Cummins took six wickets. He is now just 30 points behind Indian seamer Jasprit Bumrah at the top of the list. Cummins overtook Mitchell Starc, who is third after taking four wickets in the Adelaide Test, taking his series tally to 22.