Sehwag, Bhajji slip; Murali on top again in Test rankings

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Dubai, Mar 6 (UNI) Out of form Virender Sehwag dropped a place but managed to hang on in the top 10 and Harbhajan Singh, for the first time in five years, slipped out of top 20 while Sri Lankan offie Muttiah Muralitharan, now with a combined total of 1004 wickets in Tests and ODIs, shot up to the top slot in the LG ICC Test Rankings.

Muralitharan's nine for 141 in his side's eight-wicket win against Bangladesh not only took him to a combined total of 1004 wickets in Tests and ODIs but also helped him overtake Glenn McGrath at the summit of the listings for bowlers, with the Australian slipping to second place while another Australian, Shane Warne, remains in third spot.

Below the trio is England's Matthew Hoggard. The seam and swing bowler, who was named man of the match for his haul of 7-86 in the drawn Test against India in Nagpur, is up six places in the rankings and is now fourth with his best-ever rating points haul.

Meanwhile, groping for his form, Harbhajan Singh has slipped out of top 20. The offie failed to take a wicket in the two Tests he played in the recent series in Pakistan and a match haul of 2-172 in Nagpur has seen him drop six places to 23rd in the bowling list, the first time in five years he has been out of the top 20.

India, however, still have two bowlers among those top 20 positions, Irfan Pathan (11th) and Anil Kumble (13th) while England have three more in addition to Hoggard -- Andrew Flintoff (8th), Stephen Harmison (14th) and the injured Simon Jones (joint 18th).

Muralitharan is one of two Lankan bowlers in the top 20 along with the resting Chaminda Vaas (6th) while Lasith Malinga, who took four wickets in Chittagong, is now 36th and Malinga Bandara is 58th.

Both players are moving up the list and both have their best-ever haul of rating points.

For Bangladesh, Mohammad Rafique, who took two wickets in Chittagong, remains their highest-placed bowler, holding firm in 32nd spot.

Among the batsmen, Sehwag's twin failures in Nagpur have dropped him down one place to 10th in the LG ICC Player Rankings, allowing England's Marcus Trescothick, unavailable for personal reasons, to leapfrog him and move up the list.

More UNI XC AY PM1613

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