Aussie bowlers command Test rankings after Windies rout
Scott Boland's three wickets in each innings at Sabina Park, including a hat-trick as Australia sealed their whitewash three-Test triumph by, incredibly, bowling out the home side for 27, has ensured the veteran paceman moves up six places into a career-best sixth place in the rankings.
The late-blooming 36-year-old, who never lets Australia down whenever he gets the chance with his 62 wickets at 16.53 apiece, has joined captain Pat Cummins (third), Josh Hazlewood (fourth), Nathan Lyon (eighth) and Mitchell Starc (10th) in a rare single-country domination of the bowling table.
The ICC said you would have to go back to 1958 to find a similar domination of the table. A historical rating showed that England had half-a-dozen bowlers in the top 12 back in 1958, including the likes of Jim Laker, Tony Lock, Freddie Trueman and Brian Statham.
Still, though, top of the current pile remains the uniquely brilliant Indian quick, Jasprit Bumrah, whose seven wickets during their defeat by England at Lord's this week enabled him to stay 50 points ahead of Australia's World Test final tormentor, South African Kagiso Rabada.
Meanwhile, Joe Root's knocks of 104 and 40 in the enthralling third-Test win have ensured he goes back to the top of the batting rankings, a week after his fellow Yorkshire star Harry Brook had gone to No.1.
It's the eighth time Root has taken top spot and, at 34, he's the oldest No.1 batter since Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara was leading the way back in December 2014 at the age of 37.
It's not looking so healthy for the Australian batters on the world stage, after some of their top-order struggles in the Caribbean, with only fourth-placed veteran Steve Smith in the top 10 with a ranking of 816 compared to Root's 888. Travis Head is the next best Aussie in 11th place on 740.
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