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Dubai: England fast bowler Ryan Sidebottom continued his fairytale progress in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings when he achieved his career-best position after another outstanding performance in the drawn first Test against New Zealand at Lord's.
The 30-year-old Yorkshireman took 6-120 in a weather-marred Test and as a result jumped four places to sixth in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers.
Sidebottom leapfrogged Chaminda Vaas of Sri Lanka, India captain Anil Kumble, Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar and Shane Bond of New Zealand. He now has fifth-placed Makhaya Ntini of South Africa firmly in his sights just 53 ratings points ahead.
As Sidebottom is still qualifying for a full rating (a bowler is eligible for a full rating once he reaches 100 Test wickets), he has a good chance of breaking in the top five if he puts up another strong performance in the remaining two Tests against the Black Caps.
If he achieves that, he will become the first England bowler in the top five since Matthew Hoggard who slipped from those lofty heights last December while on tour in Sri Lanka.
In the last seven months, Sidebottom has maintained an incredible run of consistent performance in which he jumped from 115th position in October 2007 to sixth spot in the latest rankings. Since October, Sidebottom has taken 35 wickets in seven Tests and only six other bowlers, headed by South Africa's Dale Steyn (71 wickets in 11 Tests), have taken more wickets than him in that time.
Sidebottom was not the only England bowler to make progress in the right direction. James Anderson, who took 5-130 in the Test, climbed four places to the 33rd spot, while Stuart Broad rose three places to 62nd position.
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