ESPNcricinfo
South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has displaced James Anderson as the No. 1 ranked Test bowler, after his spells of 3 for 34 and 2 for 41 led his team to victory in the Cape Town Test against India.
Rabada, 22, earned five points for that performance, taking him past Anderson’s tally of 887 by one point. Anderson’s tally reduced by five points after the final Ashes Test in Sydney, where he took 1 for 56 in Australia’s only innings.
“It’s special to be ranked as the No.1 Test bowler in the world. It is a surreal feeling,” Rabada said. “It’s what you dream of achieving when you start playing the game.
“Cricket is ultimately a team sport and I’m thankful for the support from my team-mates. It’s a great start to the year personally and for us as a team, hopefully we can continue putting in winning performances.”
Vernon Philander, who was Man of the Match for his nine wickets against India at Newlands, jumped from 12th place to sixth.
In the rankings for Test batsmen, Steven Smith remained No. 1 with 947 points, but Joe Root overtook Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson to move into second place. Cheteshwar Pujara dropped from third to fifth.