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Opening Sri Lanka batter Pathum Nissanka's historic display to help his side clinch a rare win in England has been reflected on the latest edition of the ICC Rankings. The right-handed batter, who scored 64 and an unbeaten 127 in the third Test at The Oval, now holds the 39th spot in the rankings after being placed at 81st prior to the match.
The island nation's inspiring display to avoid a series loss has led to a rankings push for several of their players. Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva's crucial 69 in the first innings led him to climb up three spots up to 13th, maintaining his position as the highest-ranked Sri Lankan Test batter.
Sri Lanka's Player of the Series, Kamindu Mendis, jumps six places from 25th after his displays in the middle order away from home.
Despite a rare double failure in the Oval Test, Joe Root's position at the top of the file remains solid. However, the middle-order batter witnesses a massive 23-point drop in his ratings, giving the second and third-ranked Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell an opportunity to catch up ahead of their subcontinent tours.
Much like Root, fellow middle-order batter Harry Brook could also not make an impression in the recent third Test. After attaining the fifth spot in the last update, he falls seven places down to 12th to end his home season on a sour note.
Ollie Pope's first-innings hundred, which breaks a string of poor scores, also aids his ranking apart from keeping the critics off his back. The stand-in skipper gained seven spots in the table to occupy the 27th spot.
On the other hand, Jamie Smith's meteoric rise continues as he rises to the 30th spot on the rankings. The wicket-keeper batter played a lone knock during the second innings when England were bowled out for 156.
"It was a great opportunity to play in England" - Pathum Nissanka
The opening batter has had a year to remember so far, beginning with a record double hundred in the ODI series against Afghanistan. Nissanka then went on to have a prolific Lanka Premier League (LPL) campaign for the eventual champions Jaffna Kings.
Recently, Nissanka starred in Sri Lanka's home series against India and now has made a case for red-ball cricket too.
"It was a great opportunity to play in England. I enjoyed that innings. It was slightly difficult in the morning but I had a positive mindset and went with that. Just wanted to play my normal game," Nissanka said after being adjudged player of the match in the third Test.
Sri Lanka are scheduled to face New Zealand next in a home Test series from September 18.
