ICC Test Ranking: Cook, Bresnan rise as Indians fall

England opening batsman Alastair Cook has vaulted into a career-best third position in the ICC Test batsmen Rankings which were released on Sunday morning after his 294-run man of the match performance in the Edgbaston Test.

Prior to his 294-run innings, Cook's highest score in the series was just 12 runs and he was widely considered to be the weaker link in the Indian line-up.

The delight for the English fans would have doubled with Tim Bresnan being the biggest mover in the ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers. The 26-year-old from Yorkshire has broken into the top 20 for the first time in his career after he jumped nine places to claim 16th position following figures of 4-62 and 1-19.

Stuart Broad, who had match figures of 6-81, has also moved up two places to fifth position where he has been joined by team-mate Graeme Swann who slipped one place after managing only two wickets in the pace-dominated Test at Edgbaston.

Broad and Bresnan have also achieved career-best rankings in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders which are led by South Africa's Jacques Kallis.

Cook, who has been nominated for the Cricketer of the Year and Test Player of the Year awards for the year 2011, received 92 rating points to claim third position after rocketing eight places following his mammoth 545 ball innings.

Cook is now just two ratings points behind Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara, who currently occupies second position.

The Sri Lankan team will not feature in a Test match until August 31 which means that the second spot is there for the taking for the English opener.

The 26-year-old left-hander had entered the series in fifth position but had slipped to 11th place after failures in the Lord's and Trent Bridge Tests in which he scored 12, 1, 2 and 5.

Cook is not the only England batsman who has moved in the right direction. Kevin Pietersen has gained two places and is now in 13th position after scoring 63, captain Andrew Strauss has earned one position and is now in 34th spot after a knock of 87 and Eoin Morgan has climbed 12 places to 52nd position after scoring his second Test century.

On the contrary, the news for the Indian camp is not as encouraging. Except for captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, most of the batsmen have slipped in the rankings.

Dhoni has moved up four places and is now in 36th position after scores of 77 and 74 not out while Sachin Tendulkar is in fourth position (down by one place), VVS Laxman in 12th (down by three places), Rahul Dravid in 14th (down by three places), Virender Sehwag in 17th (down by seven places) and Gautam Gambhir in 30th (down by three places).

James Anderson has strengthened his second position after he broke into the 800-point mark for the first time in his career after figures of 2-69 and 4-85.

The Rankings will now be updated after the fourth and final Test between England and India which starts at The Oval from Thursday.