DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, CMC – Chris Gayle’s monumental second Test triple-hundred has landed him a top-10 place in the World Test batting rankings, surprisingly, for the first time.
The West Indies opener hit a career-best 333 to lead West Indies to 580 for nine declared in their first innings in the first Test against Sri Lanka, which ended in a draw at Galle.
Gayle became the second West Indies batsman to find a place inside the top-10, after the innings earned him 95 ratings points, and catapulted him from 21st to 10th.
The other West Indies batsman in the top-10 is fellow left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul. He has dropped two places to sixth in the World, after scoring just 32 in his only innings in the first of three Tests against Kumar Sangakkara’s side.
Chanderpaul’s drop, and Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene’s slip of one place to fifth meant that Jacques Kallis of South Africa rises two places to fourth behind India’s Sachin Tendulkar, Sangakkara, and India’s Virender Sehwag in that order.
The only other change in top-10 involves Hashim Amla climbing four places up the ladder to joint-eighth with India’s V.V.S. Laxman.
There are no significant changes in the bowling rankings to life West Indies, although the injured Jerome Taylor remains in the top-20 at No.15, and fellow fast bowler Kemar Roach has inched-up six places to 33rd.
Top-10 Test batsmen
1. Sachin Tendulkar – India
2. Kumar Sangakkara – Sri Lanka
3. Virender Sehwag – India
4. Jacques Kallis – South Africa
5. Mahela Jayawardene – Sri Lanka
6. Shivnarine Chanderpaul – West Indies
7. Graeme Smith – South Africa
8. V.V.S. Laxman – India
8. Hashim Amla – South Africa
10. Chris Gayle – West Indies
Top-10 Test Bowlers
1. Dale Steyn – South Africa
2. Graeme Swann – England
3. Morne Morkel – South Africa
4. Zaheer Khan – India
5. Mohammad Asif – Pakistan
6. James Anderson – England
7. Mitchell Johnson – Australia
8. Doug Bollinger – Australia
9. Harbhajan Singh – India
10. Mohammad Amir – Pakistan
