December 06, 2007	Thursday	Ziqa'ad 25, 1428

DUBAI, Dec 5: After his match-saving century against India in the second Test at Kolkata on Monday, Pakistan’s Younis Khan has plenty of cause for celebration.

Not only has he managed to keep the three-Test series alive by saving the game in Kolkata but the 57-Test veteran has also moved up one place to seventh in the ICC player rankings for Test batsmen.

Younis, 30, was rock-solid in the second innings at Kolkata when his side were relying on him to survive. At 78-4 things looked decidedly shaky for Pakistan but Younis was then joined by Mohammad Yousuf, himself occupying the fourth position in the rankings, and the duo saw off the Indian bowling.

Younis ended at 107 not out and, coupled with a useful knock of 43 in the first innings, it was enough to lift him above Australian opener Matthew Hayden on the log.

It was also a wonderful match for some of Younis’s Pakistan team-mates.

Centurion Misbah-ul-Haq moves up 22 places, to the 44th position with his 161 not out in the first innings while wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal progresses five places to the 29th spot after a fine 119.

India, too, have their share of upward mobility in the latest rankings. Wasim Jaffer has reached his career-best rating following a stellar match for the man from Mumbai.

A double century in the first innings was backed up by a half-century in the second with the result that the 29-year-old moves up no fewer than 17 places to 23rd in the latest rankings.

There was also progress for Saurav Ganguly (up four places to 24th), VVS Laxman (up one place to 19th) and Sachin Tendulkar (up one place to 17th).

Australian skipper Ricky Ponting still leads the Test batsmen rankings. He is now under serious pressure from South Africa’s Jacques Kallis but even more so from the third-placed Kumar Sangakkara who is in sublime form for Sri Lanka in recent games.

Anil Kumble drops one place to joint-sixth position while team-mate Zaheer Khan slips a place to 12th spot and Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria is down two places to 16th.

Muttiah Muralitharan is still out in front of the rankings and may even stretch his lead when the rankings are updated soon.

Meanwhile, there is no change at the top of the rankings for Test all-rounders.—Agencies