Tendulkar back in top ten

Sachin Tendulkar rose three places to be the only Indian cricketer in the list of top-ten batsmen in the ICC Player Rankings for Test released on Tuesday.

Sachin is placed at 10th position along with Pakistan's Azhar Ali, who scored a match-winning 157 during the second innings of the third and final Test against England in Dubai earlier this week.

India's pace spearhead Zaheer Khan remained static at the 10th spot with an aggregate of 697 points.

The bowling chart continued to be dominated by South Africa's Dale Steyn while Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal consolidated his second position, achieving a career-best rating of 835 points.

Ajmal, who won the player of the series award for claiming 24 wickets in the 3-0 drubbing of England, now trails Steyn by just 69 points.

The other Pakistani bowler to have made an upward leap is left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman, who gained two more places to sit in seventh position.

England's Monty Panesar is the other left-arm spinner to head in the right direction. Panesar's two for 25 and five for 125 in the last Test enabled him to gain four places to be placed at 30th spot.

Meanwhile, veteran Pakistan batsman Younis Khan, who recorded his 20th Test century and shared a 216-run stand with Azhar Ali for the third wicket during the second innings of the concluding Test against England rose five places to be at fifth place.

England captain Andrew Strauss and Pakistan's other youngster Asad Shafiq have also made gains.

Strauss has jumped five places to 28th position while Shafiq has moved up four places to 43rd spot.

Sri Lanka's Kumara Sangakkara continued to top the batting chart with 850 rating points followed closely by South Africa's Jacques Kallis.




Keywords:Sachin Tendulkar, Indian cricketer, ICC Player Rankings,Pakistan's Azhar Ali, England , Dubai,Zaheer Khan,Dale Steyn , off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, Pakistani bowler,left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman,Monty Panesar, Pakistan batsman Younis Khan,captain Andrew Strauss , youngster Asad Shafiq, Shafiq ,Kumara Sangakkara, Jacques Kallis.