Aussies Batsmen Move up in ICC Test Rankings

Dubai: Australia's batting might in the drawn Ashes opener was mirrored in the latest ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen with opener Simon Katich, middle-order batsmen Marcus North and stumper Brad Haddin achieving career-best slots.

Katich, who scored 122, has gone up by four places and now sits in 14th position alongside India great Sachin Tendulkar. North, who struck an unbeaten 125, has rocketed 23 places to 43rd position while Haddin, who scored 121, has climbed six places to 30th spot.

Besides the trio, captain Ricky Ponting has also inched towards the top five after scoring an elegant 150 and is now in sixth place after swapping positions with Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardena.

Vice-captain Michael Clarke has replaced South Africa captain Graeme Smith in eighth place and opener Phillip Hughes has lifted himself two places to 33rd position.

Australia's only disappointment is the fall of Mike Hussey whose first innings contribution of three has resulted in him dropping out of the top 20 for the first time since his rapid rise up the table at the start of his international career.

England's only batsman to make an upward movement is Paul Collingwood who has returned to the top 20 by climbing five places to 19th position after scoring two half-centuries in the match, including a gritty 74 in the second innings that spanned almost six hours of batting.

Three of the top four England batsmen - Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara - have dropped in the latest rankings while Kevin Pietersen has managed to hang on to his 10th place.