Mitchell Starc Replaces Jasprit Bumrah as World No. 1 Test Bowler

Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc has officially claimed the No. 1 spot in the ICC Men's Test Bowling Rankings for the first time in his 15-year international career. Starc’s surge to the top ranking comes on the heels of a dominant performance during Australia's innings victory against Bangladesh in Mackay. The Australian left-arm pacer overtook India's Jasprit Bumrah, who has been sidelined from active competition due to an ongoing recovery period. Starc's milestone highlights his sustained excellence and workload management across multi-format international cricket, cementing his position as one of modern cricket's premier pace bowlers. First Career Summit in a 15-Year Test CareerAustralia fast bowler Mitchell Starc has claimed the top spot in the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings for the first time in his 15-year international career. Reaching the milestone at 36 years of age, the left-arm speedster displaced India’s Jasprit Bumrah and surpassed New Zealand’s Matt Henry in the latest official ranking update issued by the International Cricket Council. Starc now leads the bowling charts with 872 rating points, holding a 10-point cushion over Bumrah, who dropped to the second position. The achievement follows years of sustained high-level output, during which Starc remained a fixture in the top ten but had previously only reached a career-best ranking of second. ICC Men's Test Bowling Rankings SnapshotPlayerCountryLatest RankMovementRating PointsMitchell StarcAustraliaNo. 1Up 2 Places872Jasprit BumrahIndiaNo. 2Down 1 Place862Matt HenryNew ZealandNo. 3Down 1 Place—Pat CumminsAustraliaNo. 4Up 1 Place—Match-Winning Haul in Mackay Triggers the AscentThe catalyst for Starc's vault to the summit was a dominant performance during the second Test against Bangladesh in Mackay. Delivering a bowling masterclass, Starc claimed a 10-wicket match haul (6/12 in the first innings and 4/39 in the second), propelling Australia to an emphatic innings-and-51-run victory to draw their ICC World Test Championship series level. Taking five wickets within the first four overs of the match, Starc was named both Player of the Match and Player of the Series. The performance also pushed his career tally to 445 Test wickets, overtaking South African legend Dale Steyn (439) on the all-time Test wicket-takers list. Bumrah's Absence and Broader Ranking MovementStarc’s rise coincided with Jasprit Bumrah’s forced absence from India’s ongoing Test series in Sri Lanka due to a knee injury. Bumrah’s latest two-month stint at the top ended after a combined career total of 697 days as the world’s top-ranked Test bowler—the most by any Indian bowler in history. Beyond the top spot, the weekly update saw other notable bowling moves: Australian captain Pat Cummins moved up to fourth following a six-wicket haul in Mackay, while England seamer Ollie Robinson jumped 15 places to 11th after taking eight wickets against Pakistan at Headingley.