Yousuf's rise gives Pakistan something to cheer by AFP

---

Player:	Mohammad Yousuf
Event:	Pakistan in British Isles 2006

---

DateLine: 23rd August 2006

 

Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf gave his side some good news after his form during the Test series against England saw him rise to a career-best position of third in the International Cricket Council Test batting rankings.

 

Yousuf had an outstanding series, scoring 631 runs in four Tests.

 

But his performance was overshadowed by the dramatic conclusion to the series finale at The Oval on Sunday where Pakistan became the first side in the 129-year-history of Test cricket to forfeit a match after they refused to take the field following the fourth day tea interval, having been penalised five runs for ball-tampering by the umpires.

 

Yousuf is now the highest-placed Pakistan batsman in the list as he and Younis Khan, now fourth, have swapped places.

 

Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, who faces the prospect of being banned for several matches fir his role in events at The Oval, remained in seventh place.

 

Australia skipper Ricky Ponting remained top of the batting standings with India's Rahul Dravid in second position.

 

England's leading batsman in the table remained Kevin Pietersen, in 11th spot, with captain Andrew Strauss in 12th, equaling his best placing this year.

 

There was little change in the bowler standings with Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan remaining top of the table, South Africa fast bowler Makhaya Ntini and Australia greats Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath third and fourth respectively.

 

England still has three players in the top 20 positions - Andrew Flintoff (fifth despite being sidelined currently with an ankle injury), Matthew Hoggard (sixth) and Stephen Harmison (11th) all non-movers.

 

Pakistan, meanwhile, has pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar in eighth spot while leg-spinner Danish Kaneria is 19th, down one position.

 

ICC Test rankings after the England-Pakistan series (position, change, player, country, points, average, highest points).

 

Batting

 

1 (-) Ponting      AUS 931 58.22 937 v RSA at Durban 2006
2 (-) Dravid       IND 882 58.75 892 v PAK at Kolkata 2005
3 (+1) Yousuf      PAK 875 53.12 875 v ENG at The Oval 2006
4 (-1) Younis      PAK 836 49.16 856 v ENG at Leeds 2006
5 (-) Kallis       RSA 815 55.78 896 v ENG at Cape Town 2005
6 (-) Hayden       AUS 808 53.08 935 v ENG at Brisbane 2002
7 (-) Inzamam      PAK 785 50.88 870 v ENG at Lahore 2005
8 (-) Hussey       AUS 780 75.93 780 v BAN at Chittagong 2006
9 (-) Sangakkara   SRI 771 48.93 813 v PAK at Lahore 2002
10 (-) Jayawardene SRI 770 49.60 836 v ENG at Birmingham 2002

 

Bowling

 

1 (-) Muralitharan SRI  908 21.96 915 v PAK at Lahore 2002
2 (-) Ntini        RSA  830 28.28 847 v NZL at Centurion 2006
3 (-) Warne        AUS  813 25.25 905 v ENG at Melbourne 1994
4 (-) McGrath      AUS  811 21.55 914 v ENG at The Oval 2001
5 (-) Flintoff     ENG  737 31.32 810 v PAK at Multan 2005
6 (-) Kumble       IND  736 28.76 859 v SRI at Bangalore 1994
7 (-) Hoggard      ENG  723 29.76 795 v SRI at Birmingham 2006
8 (-1) Akhtar      PAK  721 25.69 855 v NZL at Wellington 2003
9 (-) Bond         NZL  720 21.53 778 v WIS at Auckland 2006
10 (-) Collymore   WIS  700 29.58 700 v IND at Kingston 2006

(Article: Copyright © 2006 AFP)