England’s James Anderson has reclaimed his position as the No. 1 Test bowler in the world after his stellar performance against New Zealand in the first Test at Mount Maunganui. He took seven wickets in the match and helped England win by 267 runs.
Anderson, who is 40 years and 207 days old, became the oldest player to top the Test bowling rankings since Australia’s Clarrie Grimmett in 1936. He also surpassed Australia’s captain Pat Cummins, who slipped to third place behind India’s Ravichandran Ashwin.
Ashwin, who is 36 years and 158 days old, has been impressive against Australia in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He has taken 14 wickets in two Tests so far and moved up from fourth to second place with 864 rating points.
The battle for the No. 1 spot is likely to intensify as India has two more Tests to play against Australia in March. Ashwin will be keen to add more wickets to his tally and overtake Anderson, who currently has 866 points.
Ashwin said he was happy with his performance but not satisfied yet. “I am enjoying my bowling right now but I know there is still room for improvement. I want to contribute more for my team and win more matches,” he said.
Anderson said he was proud of his achievement but not complacent either. “It feels great to be at the top of the rankings again but I know it can change anytime. I have to keep working hard and stay fit,” he said.
Both Anderson and Ashwin are among the most successful bowlers in Test history. Anderson has taken 671 wickets in 180 Tests while Ashwin has taken 427 wickets in 86 Tests.
