30 Apr 2012

Chanderpaul back on top of the world after nearly four years

6:59 am on 30 April 2012

The West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul has regained the number-one ranking in the ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen after hitting two half-centuries in the Dominica Test which Australia won by 75 runs to claim the series 2-nil.

Chanderpaul leapfroged South Africa's duo of AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis into the number-one position.

The 37-year-old Guyanese player had first topped the batting chart in July 2008

Chanderpaul will again arrive in England as the number-one ranked batsman, as he did in May 2009, and while England will be out to defend its number-one Test team tag against the West Indies, the diminutive left-hander will be aiming to protect his top spot as he leads de Villiers by just six ratings points.

Meanwhile, in the ICC Test Championship table, Australia has moved ahead of India in third place.

England leads the Test Championship table, followed by South Africa which is fraction of a point behind Andrew Strauss's side.