ICC Rankings: James Anderson becomes new No.1 ranked Test bowler

image-leff2d7xAnderson becomes new number one ranked Test bowler [Twitter]

James Anderson has aged like a fine wine. Having made his international debut in 2002, Anderson continues to amaze us with his skillset.

The veteran has been in outstanding form in Test cricket and as a result has been rewarded by the ICC. He becomes the new number one ranked bowlers in Tests, displacing Australian skipper, Pat Cummins at the top.

Anderson picked up 7 wickets in the first Test against New Zealand last week, and was one of the stars for his side as the visitors thrashed the Kiwis by 267 runs. He scalped 3 wickets in the first session and came back to haunt New Zealand in the second innings with a 4-wicket haul.

The 40-year-old became the oldest player to hold the number one Test ranking (40 years and 207 days), since Clarrie Grimmett in 1936.

Since the start of 2022, Anderson has picked up 43 wickets in 10 Test matches, and was a vital cog for the England side that won the away series against Pakistan last year.

Talking about Cummins, it has been a torrid series for the Aussie skipper. He has only managed 3 wickets in the first two Test matches, and has been a pale shadow of himself against a strong Indian side.

Cummins, 29, has dropped two places to number three, but has a chance to regain the number one ranking if he performs well in the remaining two Tests. Meanwhile, India's Ravichandran Ashwin, keeps his number two spot, but is just two rating points behind Anderson.

Apart from Ashwin, his spin partner, Ravindra Jadeja saw a rise in his Test rankings. After a breath-taking seven-wicket haul in the second innings of the Delhi Test, he jumps seven places to ninth in the Test bowlers' ranking charts.

The third wheel of India's spin trio, Axar Patel witnessed a drop in the Test bowlers' rankings. He contributed massively with the bat in the first two Tests, but picked up just a solitary wicket in the first two games as he dropped seven places to number 27.

With Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood not taking part in the first two Test matches against India, they witnessed a slump in their rankings. Starc goes one place down to 10th position, while Hazlewood also goes a position down to 12th.