Sehwag stays seventh despite Lahore innings

Virender Sehwag's remarkable double-century against Pakistan at Lahore this week was not sufficient to lift him up from seventh position in the latest LG ICC Player Rankings. Ordinarily, an innings of 254 from 247 balls would have sent Sehwag surging up the list, but such was the torpid nature of the Gadaffi Stadium pitch that his efforts barely registered.

In five days just eight wickets fell while 1089 runs were scored, even with men of the stature of Shoaib Akhtar and Danish Kaneria in the Pakistan attack. Five other batsmen scored centuries, including Sehwag's opening partner and captain, Rahul Dravid, who climbed two places to joint-fourth with Australia's Matthew Hayden.

Inzamam-ul-Haq was a rare failure, making just 1, and has slipped down to sixth. But his middle-order colleagues Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf have both made gains after their scores of 199 and 173 respectively. Yousuf is ninth and Younis tenth, with career-best ratings for each of them.

Further down the list, Shahid Afridi's blitzkrieg batting on the second day has moved him up five places to joint 39th, while Kamran Akmal, whose 81-ball century was the fastest by a wicketkeeper in Test history, is up to 52nd spot. Both players have career-best hauls of rating points.

There were five bowlers from among the world's top 20 on show in Lahore and unsurprisingly, all of them lost rating points. Irfan Pathan has dropped out of the top ten, slipping two places to 12th position, but India are still represented in that top ten by Anil Kumble, down one spot to ninth place. Pakistan's representatives are Shoaib Akhtar, unchanged in fourth, and Danish Kaneria, down one position to 14th.

For the complete rankings click here