While the West Indies suffered a demoralizing 3-0 series sweep at the hands of Australia in the ICC World Test Championship, their bowlers continue to find individual redemption, as they made notable gains in the latest ICC Test rankings released on Wednesday.
Leading the charge is young pace sensation Shamar Joseph, whose eight wickets in the final Test at Sabina Park—despite West Indies' crushing 176-run defeat—saw him climb to a career-best 14th position on the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings. His rise continues a steady upward trajectory since his breakout debut last year.
Joseph was not alone in his progress. Fellow fast bowler Alzarri Joseph moved up two spots to 29th, thanks to his five-wicket haul in Australia’s second innings, while Justin Greaves leapt 15 places to 65th, highlighting that despite the team’s struggles with the bat, the bowling unit remains a bright spot for the Caribbean side.
The movement in rankings comes amid historic dominance by Australia, who now boast five bowlers in the top 10, a feat not seen since England had six bowlers in the top 12 in 1958. The latest to join the elite group is Scott Boland, whose six-wicket match haul in Kingston—including a hat trick—lifted him six places to a career-best sixth. He joins compatriots Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, and Mitchell Starc in an Australian-dominated top tier.
Boland’s Test bowling average now stands at a staggering 16.53, with only legendary figures George Lohmann and Sydney Barnes having taken wickets at a better average in the game’s long history.
In the batting department, England’s Joe Root has reclaimed the number one spot after he scored 104 and 40 in the third Test against India at Lord’s, to become the oldest top-ranked Test batter since Kumar Sangakkara in 2014. Root edged out fellow Yorkshireman Harry Brook, who dropped to third, while Steve Smith overtook Yashasvi Jaiswal to grab the fourth position.
India’s Ravindra Jadeja (up five to 34th), K.L. Rahul (up five to 35th), and Ben Stokes (up two to 42nd) also made gains, while all-rounder Cameron Green of Australia surged 16 places to a joint-29th position after consistent middle-order contributions.