MUMBAI, Nov 28: Australia captain Ricky Ponting has achieved the fifth best all-time Test batting rating following his exploits in the first Ashes Test.

The 31-year-old scored 196 and 60 not out in his team's 277-run rout of England in Brisbane, lifting him to 940 points in the International Cricket Council's rankings released on Tuesday.

Only his countryman Don Bradman and Englishmen Len Hutton, Jack Hobbs and Peter May have achieved higher ratings.

The Brisbane century was Ponting's seventh in his last eight tests, taking his career tally to 32, level with former team mate Steve Waugh and behind only Indians Sachin Tendulkar (35) and Sunil Gavaskar (34), and West Indian Brian Lara (34).

Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf, who scored a record eighth century in the calendar year against visiting West Indies on Monday, retained second spot in the rankings.—Reuters