Seales and Holder Climb ICC Test Rankings

West Indies duo rewarded for strong performances against South Africa

Seales and Holder displayed strong performances in their Test series, making them top performers /

By Priscilla Jepchumba

Jayden Seales and Jason Holder have emerged as top performers in the updated ICC Men's Test Player Rankings following their strong performances during the recent Test series between West Indies and South Africa.

Despite West Indies' series defeat, Seales collected nine wickets in the second Test in Guyana, propelling him 13 places up the Test rankings for bowlers to a career-high 13th position.

His teammate Jomel Warrican moved up two spots to 52nd, while Shamar Joseph climbed 11 places to 54th in the Test bowler rankings. South Africa's Wiaan Mulder also significantly improved his ranking, rising 27 places to 65th after a stellar performance.

Jason Holder excelled in all three categories, moving up two spots to fifth in the rankings for Test all-rounders.

His unbeaten half-century in the second Test propelled him to the fifth spot in the all-rounder rankings and an equal 60th place in the list for Test batters.

Aiden Markram and Kyle Verreynne from South Africa also made notable progress in the Test rankings for batters, with Joe Root maintaining his position as the top-ranked batter.

In the latest ODI Player Rankings, Scott Edwards of the Netherlands climbed six places to 26th on the list for ODI batters, following his recent half-century against Canada.

Similarly, USA's Aaron Jones and Dutch teammate Vikramjit Singh also advanced in the rankings, moving up 11 places to equal 56th and nine spots to 79th, respectively.

The Netherlands' Aryan Dutt and Paul van Meekeren were among the significant movers in the list for ODI bowlers, with Dutt rising five places to 33rd and van Meekeren climbing 18 spots to 72nd.

Seales and Holder returned to the West Indies squad earlier in June.  Speaking on the selection at the time, West Indies’ lead selector, Desmond Hayes heaped praise on the team.

"The squad has been shaped with both experience and emerging talent, ensuring a strong balance as we face the challenge of playing in English conditions," said Haynes.

“Over the past year, our red-ball program has continued to develop. Following our victory in the last Test in Australia in January, it is evident that we are seeing the fruits of that investment,” he continued.

"Each player selected has earned their place through consistent performances and hard work. We are confident that this blend of seasoned players and emerging faces will perform admirably against England."

The two players have lived to the expectation as they continue to soar in the rankings.