Australian pacers Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland have climbed to career-best rankings in the latest ICC Test Rankings released on Wednesday, following their dominant performances in the Boxing Day Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). England’s Harry Brook also jumped three spots to second in the Test batting rankings after playing a crucial knock on a challenging pitch that saw the match finish inside two days with pacers claiming all 36 wickets.

Starc equals career-best second spot, Boland reaches seventh

Mitchell Starc rose to equal his career-best joint-second ranking among Test bowlers with 843 rating points, tying with Pakistan’s Noman Ali. Starc picked up four wickets in the Boxing Day Test and has been exceptional throughout the Ashes series, registering his best-ever wicket tally in a Test series with 26 scalps in four matches at an impressive average of 17.42, including career-best figures of 7/58.

Scott Boland made a two-spot jump to seventh with a rating of 810, also securing a new career-high. Boland picked up five wickets in the Melbourne Test, including a crucial first-innings three-for, and has troubled English batters throughout the series with his impeccable line and length. He has taken 16 wickets in four matches at an average of 23.00, with a four-wicket haul to his name.

Harry Brook climbs to second in Test batting rankings

England’s Harry Brook moved up three spots to second in the Test batting rankings with 846 rating points after his match-winning contributions in Melbourne. Brook scored a gritty 41 in the first innings and an unbeaten 18 to guide England home in a tricky chase on a bowling-friendly surface.

Brook is now chasing legendary teammate Joe Root (867 rating points) for the top spot in the Test batting rankings. Despite not converting his starts into big scores, Brook has been England’s fifth-highest run-getter in the series with 232 runs in four matches at an average of 33.14, including one half-century.

As a result of Brook’s rise, Australia’s Steve Smith (who scored 9 and 24* in the match) and Travis Head (12 and 46), as well as New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, all moved down in the rankings.

Josh Tongue’s five-for propels him 13 spots

Player of the Match Josh Tongue made a significant leap, climbing 13 spots to 30th with 573 rating points after claiming 5/45 and 2/44 in the Boxing Day Test. The 28-year-old English quick captured England’s first five-wicket haul in a Boxing Day Test at Melbourne in the 21st century.

So far, Tongue has taken 12 wickets in two matches at an impressive average of 18.58, establishing himself as a genuine wicket-taking option for England.

Atkinson and Carse also make gains

Gus Atkinson, who returned to the side and took three wickets including the key scalp of Travis Head with the new ball, climbed four spots to 13th with 698 rating points. Atkinson also played a crucial knock of 28 off 35 balls in England’s first innings, helping him move to eighth in the all-rounder rankings.

Brydon Carse rose six spots to 23rd after taking five wickets in the match, including a second-innings four-for that helped England secure their first Test win in Australia since 2010-11 and end an 18-match winless streak on Australian soil.

England captain Ben Stokes maintained his third spot in the all-rounder rankings with 316 points.

Boxing Day Test: A bowling masterclass

The Boxing Day Ashes Test at the MCG was a bowling paradise, with the pitch offering significant seam movement and bounce throughout. Pacers claimed all 36 wickets, and the match finished inside two days—the shortest Ashes Test in Australia in over a century.

England snapped their long winless streak in Australia with a four-wicket victory, providing a morale boost ahead of the fifth and final Test in Sydney, starting on January 4.