Brilliant Boland storms into ICC's top 10 rankings

Scott Boland has capped his brilliant home summer by cracking into the ICC's top 10 bowling rankings for the first time.

Australia's back-up paceman rocketed 29 places to 10th spot on the back of the best match figures of his first-class career – 10-76 in the six-wicket triumph at the SCG that sealed a historic series win over India.

Boland was player of the match in the decisive fifth Test on a green seaming wicket, having also taken six wickets across the Boxing Day Test at his happy hunting ground the MCG.

The 35-year-old's previous best position on the ICC rankings was 36th after he took five wickets in the 2023 World Test Championship final against India in 2023.

Boland's latest accolade comes as national selectors include him as one of three pace-bowling options for the upcoming two-Test tour of Sri Lanka, alongside Blues pair Mitchell Starc and the uncapped Sean Abbott.

Josh Hazlewood's injuries meant Boland played three of five matches in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but the man of the hour should be fresh for Sri Lanka after opting to sit out of BBL duties with the Melbourne Stars.

Boland has overtaken 14th-placed Starc on the ICC rankings to join Test teammates Pat Cummins (2nd), Hazlewood (4th) and Nathan Lyon (7th) in the top 10.

Superstar Indian quick Jasprit Bumrah, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy's player of the series, remains atop the charts.

Travis Head and Steve Smith, Australia's two most prolific run-scorers in the series, sit in fifth and eighth respectively on the ICC's batting rankings behind ladder-leading Englishman Joe Root.