New Delhi, June 18 (IANS) Right-handed opener Aiden Markram is amongst the South African players who have experienced a jump in the ICC Men’s Test rankings after becoming the World Test Championship (WTC) winners at Lord’s.

Markram, who hit a match-winning 136 off 207 balls in the chase of 282 against Australia, has risen seven places to be at eleventh place in the men’s Test batting rankings. He is now only two points behind New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell, who is in 10th place with 725 rating points.

Markram, who also grabbed a couple of crucial wickets for South Africa, has also been rewarded in the all-rounder rankings by rising a whopping 44 places. David Bedingham, who was at the crease when South Africa got the famous win, has climbed 17 places in the batting rankings to be at 40th place alongside Australia all-rounder Cameron Green.

South Africa fast bowler Lungi Ngidi, who produced a blistering spell with the ball during Australia’s second innings, has climbed seven spots to share the 37th place in bowlers’ rankings with fellow quicks Lahiru Kumara and Naseem Shah.

His team-mate, pace-bowling spearhead Kagiso Rabada maintained his second place among the bowlers, next to India’s Jasprit Bumrah. For Australia, left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc, who took five wickets scored a fighting half-century in the second innings, climbed to 10th spot in the bowling and all-rounders’ rankings respectively. All-rounder Beau Webster, who was Australia’s top scorer in the first innings, ascended 13 places in the Batting Rankings.

Australia will now kick-start their three-match Test tour of the West Indies later this month, with matches to be held in Barbados, Grenada and Jamaica. On the other hand, the championship winning South Africa players and support staff will be returning home on Wednesday, and will address a press conference after arriving at the OR Tambo International Airport, before having a break and regrouping for a two-match Test series in Zimbabwe.

–IANS

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