Australia's Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon have made significant strides in the latest ICC Men's Test Player Rankings, closing in on India's premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah after their stellar performances in the opening clash against New Zealand.
While Bumrah maintains his lead among Test bowlers, Hazlewood has climbed one spot to secure fourth place, and Lyon has surged two spots to claim the sixth position, a testament to their outstanding display in Wellington.
In the thrilling encounter at Basin Reserve, the Australian duo wreaked havoc, collectively snatching 14 wickets to propel their team to a commanding 172-run victory.
Hazlewood exhibited his prowess by scalping two crucial wickets in each innings, complemented by Lyon's masterful display that saw him bagging a total of 10 dismissals.
Meanwhile, New Zealand's Matt Henry and Glenn Phillips also made significant strides in the rankings, with Henry ascending seven places to 18th position and Phillips soaring 19 spots to 48th after their noteworthy performances in the same Test match.
On the batting front, Australia's Cameron Green has made notable progress, edging closer to the top 20 following his stellar unbeaten century that played a pivotal role in Australia's triumph over New Zealand.
Green's exceptional knock of 174 not out in the first innings earned him the Player of the Match accolade and propelled him 22 places up to the 23rd position in the rankings.
Despite facing a slight dip in form, New Zealand's Kane Williamson retains his top spot in the batting rankings, while the likes of Steve Smith, Travis Head, and Marnus Labuschagne witnessed a decline in their rankings following underwhelming performances in the Test.
With Smith slipping to third position and Labuschagne dropping out of the top 10 for the first time since December 2019, Indian batters including Virat Kohli, Yashaswi Jaiswal, and Rohit Sharma have all seen improvements in their rankings.
Additionally, the latest rankings update also reflects the impact of the one-off Test between Afghanistan and Ireland in Abu Dhabi.
Mark Adair's impressive performance, which yielded an eight-wicket match haul and secured Ireland's historic Test victory, propelled him 30 places up to 69th position among bowlers.
Furthermore, notable advancements were witnessed in the batting rankings for Andy Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Paul Stirling, and Andy McBrine, highlighting their contributions to Ireland's success.
In the Afghan camp, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Naveed Zadran made significant gains in the rankings, with Shahidi ascending five spots to 81st position in batting, and Zadran jumping an impressive 32 places to claim the 79th position among bowlers.
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