ICC Rankings: Mitchell Starc regains No. 1 Test bowler spot; Shreyas Iyer moves up to 7th in T20Is

Australian premier quick Mitchell Starc has reclaimed the number one spot in the updated ICC Test Rankings for bowlers following his nine wickets across two innings in the Cape Town Test against South Africa. Starc dethroned Proteas all-rounder Marco Jansen, who dropped down the standings after managing just three wickets across both innings. Jansen topped the bowlers' and all-rounders’ rankings in Tests after a brilliant second Test in Gqeberha, where he scored a valiant 85 with the bat in the first innings, followed up with five wickets in Australia’s first innings. His heroics led South Africa to win the match and level the three-match series 1-1.

Starc was instrumental in triggering a late South African collapse on day one of the third and final Test, returning with 6/72 in the first innings. He then picked up 3/65 in the second but could not prevent Australia's defeat, as the visitors lost in Cape Town by 176 runs to concede the series 2-1. The defeat not only cost Australia their No. 1 Test ranking, but also slid them to third in the 2025–27 WTC standings behind New Zealand and South Africa.

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Jansen, however, was named the Player of the Series for his 198 runs with the bat and 13 wickets in three Tests. His teammate and Cape Town Test spin hero for South Africa, Simon Harmer, also jumped nine places to sit in the seventh spot with 817 points - the second-highest by a South African spinner, behind Hugh Tayfield, who had 895 in February 1957.

Harmer spun his way to record books in the second innings of the final Test, picking up six for 16, as Australia failed to chase 288 on the final day. The visitors were bowled out for just 111.

Shreyas Iyer Rises to 7th in T20Is

India’s T20I captain Shreyas Iyer is among those who climbed up the T20I batting charts following the concluded series against New Zealand. After hitting a 50 in the fifth and final T20I in Hamilton, Iyer jumped two places to sit in the seventh spot in the updated rankings.

New Zealand all-rounder Glenn Phillips, who won the Player of the Series award for scoring 341 runs in five T20Is, including a hundred and three fifties, also jumped 13 spots to 24th.