Bangladesh spinner Taijul Islam has risen to 16th in the latest ICC Test bowling rankings following his five-wicket haul in the Colombo Test, even as the team suffered a heavy innings defeat to Sri Lanka.
In contrast, senior batters Mushfiqur Rahim and Najmul Hossain Shanto dropped down the rankings after underwhelming performances with the bat.
On 2 July, the ICC released its weekly update to the men’s Test rankings. Taijul, who took 5 for 131 in Sri Lanka’s only innings, moved up two spots.
It was the 17th time in his career that the left-arm spinner claimed five or more wickets in a Test innings. He now sits at 16th — just one place below his career-best ranking of 15th, which he achieved in 2023.
Despite Taijul’s efforts, Bangladesh lost the Colombo Test by an innings and 78 runs, and with it the series 1–0. In the match, Mushfiqur made scores of 35 and 26, while Shanto was dismissed for 8 and 19. The pair’s struggles saw Mushfiqur fall one place to 29th and Shanto drop five places to 34th in the Test batting rankings. Shanto, who had earlier made a double-century in Galle and risen 21 places, announced his resignation from the Test captaincy after the match.
Sri Lankan opener Pathum Nissanka made a significant leap after scoring 158 in the same match, climbing 14 spots to 17th. Dinesh Chandimal also improved his position, moving up two places to 13th thanks to a 93-run knock. There were no changes in the top five Test batters — Joe Root remains top, followed by Harry Brook, Kane Williamson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Steve Smith.
Australia’s Travis Head entered the top ten after climbing three places to 10th. His twin innings of 59 and 61 against West Indies in the first Test at Barbados were pivotal in Australia’s 159-run win. South Africa’s Vian Mulder and Corbin Bosch also made gains after the Bulawayo Test against Zimbabwe. Mulder jumped 16 places to 56th, while Bosch climbed 15 to 59th following his century and five-wicket haul — making him only the fourth South African in history to achieve such a feat in the same match.
Debutant Luan-Dre Pretorius also made an immediate impact, entering the rankings at 68th after a score in excess of 150. Bosch’s all-round excellence saw him rise 42 places to 19th in the all-rounders’ table. In the bowling rankings, he jumped 45 spots to 57th.
Among bowlers, the top three remained unchanged with Jasprit Bumrah, Kagiso Rabada, and Pat Cummins holding the leading positions. Josh Hazlewood moved up to fourth after taking seven wickets, including five in the second innings, in the Barbados Test. West Indies pacer Shamar Joseph climbed 14 spots to joint 35th with Jack Leach after taking nine wickets in the same match.
In the all-rounders’ chart, India’s Ravindra Jadeja continues to lead, followed by Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hasan Miraz in second.