PHOTO: K. BHAGYA PRAKASH

Rahul Dravid

Dubai: Rahul Dravid maintained his second position in the batsmen's list, but Virender Sehwag slipped a rung to 17th in the latest LG ICC Test Player Rankings issued on Thursday.

Irfan Pathan, however, gained from the poor show by others and moved up a place to 14th in the bowlers' list, which has Anil Kumble remaining at eighth as the lone Indian bowler in the top 10.

The Sri Lankan duo of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumara Sangakkara has reaped rich rewards for its record stand against South Africa in the rankings for batsmen.

The duo, which added a Test and first class record of 624 runs for the third wicket, is now in the top 10.

Jayawardene, whose 374 is the highest-ever score by a Sri Lankan in Tests, has moved up nine places to 10th, while Sangakkara, who made 287, his top score at the highest level, climbs three places to the eighth slot.

The list remains headed by Australia's Ricky Ponting, who is clear of Dravid and South Africa's Jacques Kallis.

Muralitharan still on top

Meanwhile, spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan's haul of 10 for 172 in the first Test against South Africa, his 17th 10-wicket haul in Tests, has extended his lead at the top of the bowlers' list.

In team rankings, for South Africa, the news is less encouraging. Defeat in the first Test means a drawn series is now the best it can hope for, but it cannot overtake Sri Lanka and claim the fifth place in the Test Championship table.

With the bat, South Africa's highest ranked players are both absent — the injured Kallis in third spot and Graeme Smith, in 20th position. Below them come Herschelle Gibbs (31st) and A.B. de Villiers, joint 33rd with England's Alastair Cook.

Career-best ratings

Cook, Ian Bell (30th) and Paul Collingwood (35th) all have career-best ratings, while England has three players in the top 20 in Kevin Pietersen (12th), acting captain Andrew Strauss (13th) and Marcus Trescothick (15th).

England also has three bowlers in the top 10, thanks to Stephen Harmison's 11 for 76 at Old Trafford. His career-best figures have propelled him back into the top 10 for the first time since early 2005 and he is now joint sixth, alongside teammate Matthew Hoggard, after a rise of 11 places.

LG ICC Test Championship (for series completed up to Aug. 1, 2006): 1. Australia (130); 2. Pakistan (120); 3. England (113); 4. India (111); 5. Sri Lanka (99); 6. South Africa (98); 7. New Zealand (92); 8. West Indies (72); 9. Zimbabwe (28); 10. Bangladesh (2).

Top 10 batsmen: 1. Ricky Ponting (Aus, 931); 2. Rahul Dravid (Ind, 882); 3. Jacques Kallis (RSA, 824); 4. Mohd. Yousuf (Pak, 810); 5. Matthew Hayden (Aus, 808); 6. Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pak, 806); 7. Younis Khan (Pak, 803); 8. Kumara Sangakkara (SL, 795); 9. Mike Hussey (Aus, 780); 10. Mahela Jayawardene (SL, 758).

Top 10 bowlers: 1. Muttiah Muralitharan (SL, 906); 2. Makhaya Ntini (RSA, 818); 3. Shane Warne (Aus, 813); 4. Glenn McGrath (Aus, 811); 5. Andrew Flintoff (Eng, 752); 6. Steve Harmison (Eng) and Matthew Hoggard (Eng) (both 745); 8. Anil Kumble (Ind) and Shoaib Akhtar (Pak) (both 736); 10. Shane Bond (NZ, 720).

Top 5 all-rounders: 1. Jacques Kallis (RSA, 476); 2. Andrew Flintoff (Eng, 445); 3. Shaun Pollock (RSA, 296); 4. Daniel Vettori (NZ, 290); 5. Irfan Pathan (Ind, 270). — UNI

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