ICC Test Rankings: Steve Smith moves 34 points ahead of Virat Kohli with match-winning performances in the 4th Ashes Test 

What's the story?

In the latest Test rankings released by ICC, Australia's batting maestro, Steve Smith has solidified his position at the top by building a 34-point lead over the Indian skipper, Virat Kohli in the batting rankings. Apart from Smith, his teammate Pat Cummins too has consolidated his spot at the helm of the bowling rankings.

The background

Steve Smith has returned to red-ball cricket after a year's gap as Cricket Australia had banned him for his alleged involvement in the infamous ball-tampering scandal. The right-handed batsman made his return in the ongoing Ashes series where he played like he had never left Test match cricket.

In the 3 Test matches Smith has played against England, the former Australian skipper has aggregated 671 runs at a mind-boggling average of 134.20. He even hit a double hundred in the previous match which has helped him expand the gap between himself and Virat Kohli.

The heart of the matter

◾ Steve Smith & Pat Cummins retain their 🔝 positions◾ Afghanistan players make big gains 👏@MRFWorldwide ICC Test Rankings after #BANvAFG and the fourth #Ashes Test ⬇️https://t.co/fcld2lmvQj

— ICC (@ICC) September 10, 2019

Smith's 211 and 82 in the 4th Ashes Test match have taken him to 937 rating points which is just 10 less than his all-time best. Even if he does not get going in the final Test match, Smith will hold the top position in the rankings.

Australia's right-arm fast bowler, Pat Cummins has leveled his career-best 914 rating points, courtesy a magnificent outing in the 4th Test. He picked 7 wickets in the Test to seal the deal for his side. Tim Paine, Jos Buttler and Rory Burns improved their positions in the batting rankings while Josh Hazlewood has moved into the Top 10 of the bowling rankings.

On the other side, Afghanistan recorded a historic win versus Bangladesh and with this win, Rashid Khan, Asghar Afghan and Rahmat Shah have gained places in the rankings. Asghar has climbed to the 63rd rank whereas Shah has achieved the 65th position in the batting rankings. Afghanistan's new captain Rashid has moved up to the 37th spot and Mohammad Nabi retired from Test match cricket at the 85th position in the bowlers' rankings.

What's next?

Australia and England will clash in the final Test match of Ashes 2019 from 12th September 2019. The venue for this match is The Oval.

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