Harry Brook hits historic double century – but England still lose to Sri Lanka

Harry Brook hits historic double century – but England still lose to Sri Lanka

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The greatest glovemen – a century, half-ton and seven or more dismissals in the same Test

Wicketkeeping in Test cricket is one of the most physically demanding jobs in sports. A keeper must remain crouched for hundreds of overs, maintain absolute concentration for days, and then turn around to do his bit for the batting line-up.

Among the rarest feats in cricket history is for a gloveman to dominate with the bat by scoring a half-century and a century in the same match, while simultaneously delivering a masterclass behind the stumps.

Following a recent historic performance by Bangladesh’s Litton Das against Afghanistan, we take a look at a short list of wicketkeepers who have achieved the highest number of dismissals in a single Test match while also scoring a fifty and a hundred.

1. Litton Das (Bangladesh) – nine dismissals vs Afghanistan (2026)

Bangladesh’s Litton Das rewrote the record books during the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi. Entering the match under immense pressure, Litton delivered a performance for the ages.

He anchored the Bangladesh batting by scoring a resilient 53 in the first innings and translating his form into a spectacular 102 in the second.

However, it was his legendary athleticism with the gloves that stole the show. Litton executed nine dismissals across the match, capped off by an incredible diving, one-handed catch just before lunch on the final day.

With his ninth dismissal, Litton officially broke Denis Lindsay’s 60-year-old world record, claiming the undisputed crown for the most dismissals by a wicketkeeper scoring a fifty and a century in a single Test match.

2. Denis Lindsay (South Africa) – eight dismissals vs Australia (1966)

For nearly sixty years, South African cricketing legend Denis Lindsay held the benchmark for this specific all-round feat. During the historic 1966 Test against Australia at the Wanderers in Johannesburg, Lindsay single-handedly turned the tide for South Africa.

He compiled an astonishing 182 runs in one innings alongside a crucial half-century, while effortlessly executing eight dismissals behind the stumps.

Lindsay’s masterclass guided South Africa to a historic victory and established a standard for wicketkeeping excellence that stood uncontested for decades.

Also read: Five uncapped domestic stars set to spark bidding wars at IPL mega auction

3. Alex Carey (Australia) – seven dismissals vs England (2025)

Alex Carey cemented his reputation as one of the premier modern wicketkeeper-batters during a high-stakes encounter against England in 2025. Carey displayed immaculate glovework throughout the match, snaring seven dismissals to choke out the English batting order.

Combined with his sharp reflexes behind the stumps, Carey pulled off the rare batting double, crossing fifty in one innings and registering a magnificent century in the other.

His clinical performance proved vital in anchoring Australia’s strategy and showcased the massive impact a modern keeper can have across all facets of a five-day match.

Read next: T20 ghosts – five IPL cult heroes who have never played international cricket

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Rashid Khan reminds the world just how good he is with another big move in ODI rankings

Afghanistan players Sediqullah Atal and Rashid Khan have made major gains in the latest ICC ODI Player Rankings after helping their team secure an impressive 158-run victory over Zimbabwe in the United Arab Emirates Tri-Series in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

Left-handed opener Sediqullah struck 102 as Afghanistan posted a total of 294 after electing to bat.

His Player of the Match effort helped him gain 12 slots and reach 20^th position even as Rashid’s haul of four for 17 that included the prize scalp of Sikandar Raza, has helped him consolidate his position at the top of the bowling rankings, taking him a good 80 rating points ahead of Abrar Ahmed.

UAE tri-series sees gains for Brad Evans and Tanzid Hasan

Bangladesh batter Tanzid Hasan’s knock of 46 in the opening match of the UAE Tri-Series which they lost to Zimbabwe, sees him move up three places to 21^st while fast bowler Taskin Ahmed is up nine places to a career-best 12^th place after a haul of three for 44 in the loss.

There is a jostling of places on the table there with the slots from 11 to 20 covered by just 28 points.

Others to gain after matches of this tri-series include Afghanistan’s left-arm fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi (up 12 places to 46^th) after grabbing two for 15 against Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe’s Brad Evans, who took seven wickets in two matches, progressing 19 places to joint-65^th.

Also read: India’s seven best batters against the Windies over the years

Salman Ali Agha nears ODI top 10

The latest rankings update, that also takes into account performances in the Pakistan Tri-Series, England opener Tom Banton’s knock of 57 off 53 deliveries has helped him move up 16 places to 66^th position.

Pakistan’s Salman Ali Agha’s score of 107 in a 37-run win over Sri Lanka has helped him inch up one place to 12^th position while Sri Lanka’s Pavan Rathnayake (up 34 places to 75^th) is another one to move up the batting table.

Pakistan fast bowlers Haris Rauf (up two places to 20^th and Naseem Shah (up four places to 45^th) and upcoming Afghanistan spinner A.M. Ghazanfar (up seven places to 31^st) have moved up the ODI bowling rankings.

Others to make notable gains include the Nepal pair of Rohit Paudel (up six places to 82^nd) and Dipendra Airee (up seven places to 87^th) in the batting rankings, following their performances in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 tournament.

Shai Hope into top 10 of T20I rankings

In the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings, West Indies captain Shai Hope is in the top 10, moving up from 11^th to ninth after a match-winning 102 not out in the fourth match of the series against India which ended in a 2-2 draw.

Sherfane Rutherford’s 49 not out off 26 balls has lifted him six places to 18^th while spinner Gudakesh Motie is up 10 places to 26^th among bowlers.

Read next: Where does Matt Renshaw rank in the eyes of the ICC after conquering Kingsmead?

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England collapse to defeat as Arafat inspires Pakistan with six wickets

England collapse to defeat as Arafat inspires Pakistan with six wickets

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Where does Matt Renshaw rank in the eyes of the ICC after conquering Kingsmead?

Australia batter Matt Renshaw has surged from 196th to joint-49th in the ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings after a match-winning performance against South Africa in the opener of the three-match ICC World Test Championship Series in Durban.

Renshaw ended a sequence of seven single-figure Test scores in emphatic fashion, scoring 190 and 82 to help Australia secure a commanding 214-run victory at Kingsmead.

His performances have propelled him into the top 50, where he shares 49th place with South Africa’s Ryan Rickelton, who slipped 12 places after scores of zero and two in the match.

Aiden Markram has also made significant progress, moving up four places from 14th to return to the top 10 of the batting charts for the first time since October 2019.

Markram resisted Australia’s bowling attack for six hours in the second innings, scoring 75 to provide one of the few bright spots for the hosts.

Australia’s Josh Hazlewood was instrumental in sealing victory for his side, taking a career-best six for 49 in South Africa’s second innings. His performance has lifted him two places to seventh in the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings.

Despite taking three wickets in the match, Mitchell Starc has seen his lead at the top of the bowling rankings cut to just four rating points over New Zealand’s Matt Henry.

South Africa’s Anrich Nortje has returned to the Test Bowling rankings after a three-year absence from the format, entering the bowling rankings in 34th place after taking four wickets in the match.

Afghanistan’s Rahmat Shah nears the top 10

In Abu Dhabi, Afghanistan and Bangladesh played out a high-scoring draw, with Afghanistan captain Rahmat Shah leading the way with the bat.

His unbeaten 105 and 51 in the match have lifted him 13 slots to 13th in the Test Batting Rankings, with 693 rating points – the highest tally ever recorded by an Afghanistan player.

Teammate Sediqullah Atal also made an impression, becoming just the second player to score his maiden first-class century in the fourth innings of a Test. He now sits 91st in the batting rankings, one place ahead of Bangladesh’s Tanzid Hasan, who scored 83 and 31.

Hasan Mahmud has been rewarded for his hat-trick in the same match for Bangladesh, moving up seven places to 38th in the bowlers’ list. Fellow Bangladesh bowler Ebadot Hossain climbed 11 tiles to 67th after taking seven wickets in the match.

Also read: India’s seven very best batters against the Windies over the years

Associate nations in action during CWC League 2

The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 tournament in Texas produced several notable movements in the ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings following a busy week of action.

Namibia’s Michael van Lingen has climbed 26 places and returned to the top 100 in the batting rankings after successive innings of 124 against the USA and 71 against the UAE.

Nepal captain Rohit Paudel has also broken into the top 100, moving up 13 slots to joint-88th after scoring 101 against Canada and 61 against Oman. His teammate, Gulshan Jha, advanced to 93rd following his contribution of 48 in Nepal’s 24-run victory over Canada.

USA batter Shehan Jayasuriya has made a significant jump after recording three consecutive half-centuries. Scores of 83 and 76 against the UAE and Namibia have lifted him from 149th to 100th in the batting charts.

Among the bowlers, USA’s Saurabh Netravalkar has returned to the top 30, moving to 27th after taking three wickets for 23 in his side’s five-wicket victory over the UAE at Grand Prairie.

Namibia’s JJ Smit has advanced 11 rungs to 79th after taking four for 29 against the UAE, helping bowl them out for 134.

Canada’s Harsh Thaker, who took four for 37 against Oman, and the USA’s Shubham Ranjane, who took four for 39 against the UAE, have also been rewarded for their performances with the ball.

Shreyas Iyer makes it four Indians in the T20I top 10

In India, the hosts continue to dominate the ICC Men’s T20I Batting Rankings, with Shreyas Iyer progressing three places to fourth and joining Ishan Kishan (first) and Abhishek Sharma (second) among the top four batters.

West Indies captain Shai Hope has also improved, scoring an unbeaten century in the second T20I in Ranchi to help his side chase down 250 with nine balls to spare.

Sherfane Rutherford contributed 84 from 37 deliveries in the same game and has moved up to a career-best 24th in the batting rankings.

Meanwhile, Roston Chase has been rewarded for his all-round performances in that high-scoring series against India. His six wickets have lifted him to 23rd in the ICC Men’s T20I Bowling Rankings and a career-best third in the all-rounders’ list.

Maaz Sadaqat makes big moves

In Rawalpindi, Pakistan batter Maaz Sadaqat has made one of the biggest gains of the week after helping his side secure a 2-1 series victory over Sri Lanka.

Scores of 50 and 96 in Pakistan’s two wins have propelled him 187 places from outside the top 200 to 45th in the Batting Rankings.

Maaz’s teammate, Salman Mirza has advanced nine places to 14th in the Bowling Rankings after taking two wickets for 28 runs to derail Sri Lanka’s chase in the second match.

Read next: Five Test batters plagued by the DRS ‘paranoia index’

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Gray hairs and Baggy Greens: how Australia’s Test team ranks amongst the oldest ever

When Pat Cummins won the toss for the first Test against South Africa in Durban, he didn’t just name a cricket team; he selected a historic artifact. With Cameron Green out injured, for the first time in Australia’s 149-year men’s Test history, not a single player in the playing XI was in his 20s. Anchored by the 38-year-old Nathan Lyon and balanced by a ‘youthful’ 30-year-old Matt Renshaw, the team’s average age was a staggering 34.59 years old.

While critics might label them ‘Dad’s Army,’ this ultra-experienced unit proved their class by hunting down a thrilling opening Test victory. Statistically, they have entered rarefied air: this line-up is officially the seventh oldest playing XI in the history of Test cricket, and the single oldest fielded by any nation in nearly a century.

But who beats them? To find the ultimate collection of cricketing relics, we must travel back to an era of woollen trousers, uncovered pitches, and remarkable longevity. Here are the five oldest playing XIs ever to take the field in Test cricket history.

1. England vs. West Indies (Kingston, 1930) – average age: 37.5 years

The undisputed kings of the veteran cricket scene, England’s tour of the Caribbean in 1930 rewrote the record books. In the fourth and final Test at Sabina Park, a legendary “Timeless Test”, captain Freddie Calthorpe led a side that averaged an astonishing 37.5 years of age. The squad was heavily weighted down by the immortal Wilfred Rhodes, who was playing at 52 years old, alongside the 39-year-old Andy Sandham (who famously celebrated by scoring 325). Even with 20-year-old Bill Voce in the side to pull the numbers down, this line-up remains unmatched as the oldest collective ever assembled on a Test field.

2. England vs. West Indies (Georgetown, 1930) – average age: 36.6 years

The same 1930 tour also claimed the silver medal. For the third Test in Guyana, England’s selectors leaned so heavily into county cricket experience that the final eleven averaged 36.6 years of age. Without modern sports science, ice baths, or specialized fitness trainers, this generation relied on sheer grit, technique, and perhaps a spot of afternoon tea to power through gruelling five-day matches in the tropical heat.

Also read: T20 ghosts – five IPL cult heroes who have never played international cricket

3. England vs. West Indies (Port of Spain, 1930) – average age: 36.3 years

Sensing a pattern yet? The 1930 England tour of the West Indies holds the top four spots for the oldest teams ever fielded. For the second Test in Trinidad, the visitors rolled out an XI with an average age of 36.3 years. West Indies cricket fans were treated to a traveling museum of English cricket royalty, proving that class truly is permanent, even if the knees are a little stiff.

4. England vs. West Indies (Bridgetown, 1930) – average age: 35.8 years

The series opener in Barbados set the tone for the entire tour. England took the field with an average age of 35.8 years. It remains highly unlikely that any modern international cricket team will ever sweep the board quite like this vintage English squad, as modern scheduling and intense athletic demands usually force players into retirement long before their late 30s.

5. Australia vs. England (Melbourne, 1928) – average age: 34.8 years

Before the current side in South Africa set social media alight, the standard for Australian veteran teams belonged to the legendary 1928/29 Ashes series. In the second Test at the MCG, an Australian team featuring icons like Jack Ryder and a 46-year-old ironman bowler named Bert Ironmonger averaged 34.8 years of age.

While the current Australian side fell just short of the top five, their achievement in Durban marks a fascinating shift in how modern players manage their careers. With elite conditioning and global T20 leagues extending athletic lifespans, Cummins’ men are showing that quite possibly 30 is the new 20 in the world of Test cricket.

Read next: The four problems South Africa must resolve against Australia

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The four problems South Africa must resolve against Australia

South Africa lost a Test match and Temba Bavuma’s undefeated record as Test skipper came to an end in Durban on Tuesday. It had to happen at some point and to be fair, it was hardly surprising that it happened when it did.

Why? When the Proteas squared up against the top ranked side in the world, they did so not having played a Test for almost a year. To expect Bavuma and his charges to be on top of their game immediately was probably asking too much.

The good news is that the series against Australia involves three-matches. Following the defeat in Durban the action moves to Gqeberha and then Cape Town. There is plenty of opportunity for South Africa to turn things around and still win the series.

Undoubtedly, they need to make some tweaks and changes if this is to happen; Australia will take lots of confidence from the Durban win.

But the Proteas can only worry about the things that they can control – so what do they need to do ahead of the trip to St Georges Park to ensure that they are better equipped to win in the second game of the series.

Get their heads right

Test cricket is very different from T20I and ODI cricket, but all too often, when a team hasn’t played Tests for a while, the lines between the different formats become blurred. In white ball cricket getting bat on ball is critical. If you are not hitting the ball, you are not scoring runs, and if you are not scoring runs you are putting your team under pressure. That is how it works if T20Is where any dot-ball is a gift to the bowling side. That’s simply not the case in Test cricket which is an attritional game. It’s played over five days and occupying the crease and wearing your opponent’s down is a huge element of the game.

In Kingsmead far too many Proteas batsmen were focussed on being aggressive and trying to dominate through run scoring alone. The Ryan Rickelton, who fell for scores of 0 and 2 (driving at a wide one in the first innings and attempting to hook in the second) was a whole lot less circumspect than the Rickelton who bagged a double ton against Pakistan at the start of 2025. Rickelton could have left both the deliveries that removed him, but he chose to play them and he paid the price. Those were deliveries that would have been played early in a T20I, and they are deliveries that could be played once set, in a Test. They are not shots to be played when you are behind in the game and looking to fight your way out of trouble.

And it wasn’t just Rickelton who was injudicious. Reflecting on the situation after the game, skipper Temba Bavuma told the media: “You can never really prepare for Test cricket without playing Test cricket. But a lot of the mistakes we made out there were mental, so I think that’s where we really let ourselves down.”

Also read: T20 ghosts – five IPL cult heroes who have never played international cricket

Balancing the bowling

The Proteas opted to play two spinners in Durban with Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj both getting the nod. Between them the duo managed four wickets in the game and never genuinely looked threatening. They are both good spinners and one of them will play in Gqeberha, but surely just one of them. Kagiso Rabada was missing for the Durban Test, and it looks like he could be fit in time for the second game, but don’t for a minute think that it was Rabada’s absence that hamstrung South Africa. KG was replaced by Anrich Nortje who bowled well and ended with four wickets and, more importantly, with his reputation enhanced. He was quick and menacing and he pummelled the Baggy Green batters.

If Rabada cannot play, then the Proteas need to back Duan Jansen or Corbin Bosch. Wiaan Mulder is excellent and will surely play again, but he is an allrounder rather than an out and out bowling menace, and the Proteas need to bring unrelenting menace to the party in the same way that Australia did with Josh Hazelwood, Mitchell Starc and pat Cummins.

Spend time studying Matt Renshaw

Ahead of the first Test there would have been very few people backing Matt Renshaw to be the man to almost single-handedly demolish the World Test Champions. Across the four innings of the entire Test, there were only three individual scores of more than 50. Two of those scores belonged to Renshaw who hit 190 and 82. If the Proteas can work out how to dismiss him, they will do their cause the world of good.

He has weaknesses, everyone does. Expect the Protea analysts to spend a lot of time in the build up to the next game looking at Renshaw’s technique with a magnifying glass. No other Australian batsman passed 50 in the Test – if the Proteas can find a way to remove Renshaw, they will immediately be in a better place.

Is it time for Marques Ackerman?

Ackerman was widely expected to make his Test debut in Durban, but it didn’t happen. He has waited patiently for a chance to play Test cricket with some excellent knocks playing for South Africa A. Ackerman has shown an ability to concentrate for long periods and to play big innings. He won’t let anyone down. But if he is drafted into the side, whose place does he take? The selectors probably thought long and hard between Ackerman and David Bedingham ahead of the first Test. Like Ackerman, Bedingham has been in excellent domestic form recently. He got the nod, probably because he was already an experienced Test player. Compared with the rest of the batting unit (Aiden Markram excepted), Bedingham did well. He posted scores of 49 and 46, which is a good return, but in some ways a terrible one… Having made starts in both innings he really should have gone on to turn his 40’s into centuries.

That said, it will be hard to leave Bedingham out of the next Test. So, who goes? Rickelton? Tristan Stubbs? If Rickelton is dropped, then who opens the batting? And is it fair to drop Stubbs who scored a century for South Africa on the tour to India (the last series played before Australia).

What is a non-negotiable is that the batters need to pitch up in Port Elizabeth with the type of steel and determination that Aiden Markram brought to Durban. It was too easy for Australia to take South African wickets in the series opener and that must change before play begins at St Georges Park.

Read next: Which batters have been the most successful against India?

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