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Ashes heroes Smith and Cummins on top of the world

Old Trafford efforts rewarded as Australian pair strengthen their positions as the world's top-ranked Test batter and bowler

Steve Smith and Pat Cummins have added a fresh layer of shine to the Old Trafford victory that saw Australia secure the Ashes, with their heroics helping them to consolidate their positions as the world's No.1 ranked Test players.

And Josh Hazlewood has returned to the top 10 Test bowler rankings for the first time in 2019 after his inspiring effort in Manchester.

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But David Warner, who has endured a horror run in this series and is averaging just 9.87, has slipped to 17th, his lowest ranking since the 2013 Ashes on English soil.

Smith, who had reclaimed his mantle as officially the best Test batsman in the world prior to the Old Trafford Test, has seen his rating skyrocket on the official International Cricket Council's rating system following his double century in the fourth Test.

And Cummins, who took match figures of 7-103 across 48 overs, has now extended his lead as the top-ranked Test bowler and again equalled the all-time Australian mark as the nation's highest rated bowler.

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Smith's first-innings 211 – his third Ashes double century – saw him rise to 937 rating points, which is only 10 below the personal best he achieved in December 2017 and has a 34-point lead over India's Virat Kohli in second spot.

Cummins rose back to his personal best of 914 points on the ICC system following his match haul of seven wickets. It puts him equal with pace legend Glenn McGrath and is the joint fifth best mark of all time.

McGrath achieved his 914-point ranking in 2001 following a five-wicket haul at The Oval in England's second innings. That was the final Test of that winter's Ashes series as Australia secured a 4-1 series result – no Australian men's team had won the Ashes in England since until the Cummins and Smith inspired side triumphed in Manchester..

Image Id: https://www.cricket.com.au/~/media/News/2019/08/19mcgrath-oval-01-embed?la=en&hash=2D6027294A2246F6FC78B6EA068DB1A48F666DBC Image Caption: Glenn McGrath salutes his 5-43 at The Oval in 2001 // Getty

Spin king Shane Warne achieved a career-best mark of 905 points in the 1994 Boxing Day Test match against England.

The ICC's ratings system is a complex moving average that gives every player in the world a rating of between 0 and 1000 points. In addition to runs scored and wickets taken, a formula is applied to factor in the quality of the opposition, the result and the level of run-scoring in each match to better weight individual performances.

In addition to current players, the system has also been applied retrospectively to provide historic context.

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England's Sydney Barnes holds top spot in the all-time bowling list with 932 ranking points achieved in 1914, ahead of another Englishman in George Lohmann (931 points in 1896), Pakistan legend Imran Khan (922 in 1983) and Sri Lanka spinner Muthiah Muralidaran (920 in 2007).

Cummins, the only member of Australia's fast bowling troupe to play in all four Ashes Tests so far, has captured an incredible 24 wickets at an average of 17.41.

Smith entered the Ashes, and his resumption of his Test career following a year-long ban, with 857 ranking points.

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His twin tons in Edgbaston – scores of 144 and 142 – saw him shoot back up to 903 points. He added another 10 rating points in the second Test at Lord's where he struck 92 in his one innings as he became Test cricket's first concussion substitute.

Missing the Headingley Test with concussion saw him drop down to 904 points, but a poor series for India captain Virat Kohli in the Caribbean saw him slip behind Smith, returning the Australian to the top of the rankings tree.

Having first achieved that spot in the 2015 Ashes series after his double century against England at Lord's, he has now held top spot for 142 Tests, the third most in history after Gary Sobers and Viv Richards.

Smith first moved into the all-time top 10 ratings early in 2017 with centuries at home against Pakistan and away against India. Those run-scoring feats continued into the 2017-18 Ashes series at home where he made an unbeaten 141 in the first Test and 239 in the third Test.

That had lifted him to 945 points to equal Sir Len Hutton, but then his 76 and unbeaten 102 in the Boxing Day Test took him to his personal best peak of 947, which is second only to Sir Donald Bradman's 961 points.

Top 10 Test batters

1 Steve Smith (Aus) 937 Rating points

2 Virat Kohli (India) 903

3 Kane Williamson (NZ) 878

4 Cheteshwar Pujara (India) 825

5 Henry Nicholls (NZ) 749

6 Joe Root (England) 726

7 Ajinkya Rahane (India) 725

8 Tom Latham (NZ) 724

9 Dimuth Karunaratne (SL) 723

10 Aiden Markram (SA) 719

Top 10 Test bowlers

1 Pat Cummins (Aus) 914 Rating points

2 Kagiso Rabada (SA) 851

3 Jasprit Bumrah (India) 835

4 Jason Holder (WI) 814

5 Vernon Philander (SA) 813

6 James Anderson (England) 806

7 Trent Boult (NZ) 795

8 Josh Hazlewood (Aus) 785

8 Neil Wagner (NZ) 785

10 Kemar Roach (WI) 780

2019 Qantas Ashes Tour of England

Australia squad: Tim Paine (c), Cameron Bancroft, Pat Cummins, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner.

England squad: Joe Root (c), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes (vc), Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.

First Test: Australia won by 251 runs at Edgbaston

Second Test: Match drawn at Lord's

Third Test: England won by one wicket at Headingley

Fourth Test: Australia won by 185 runs at Old Trafford

Fifth Test: September 12-16, The Oval