Mohammad Asif on the rise in LG ICC Player Rankings

Pakistan's Mohammad Asif, whose match figures of 11-71 helped his side to an eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka in Kandy, is the big mover in the latest LG ICC Player Rankings.

The player, whose 6-44 and 5-27 were his first five-wicket innings hauls in Tests, has climbed 18 places to 29th in the list for Test bowlers, and now has his best-ever haul of rating points.

Asif's effort not only won him the man of the match and man of the series awards but has also moved Pakistan nearer to their closest rivals India in the LG ICC Test Championship table.

The victory in Kandy secured the two-match series 1-0 and that margin of success has earned Inzamam-ul-Haq's side one rating point. That means they are now just two points behind third-placed India.

Australia are the leaders of the LG ICC Test Championship table, 18 points clear of England who themselves are two points ahead of India.

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, remain in seventh place but have dropped two rating points and are now three points behind sixth-placed South Africa, who will have the chance to extend that gap still further when they face New Zealand in a three-Test series starting on 15 April.

Inzamam remains one of three Pakistan batsmen in the top 10 of the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen but he has dropped two places to fifth spot. Below him are Younis Khan (7th) and Mohammad Yousuf (8th) who swapped places after Younis's unbeaten 73 that helped seal victory in Kandy.

Imran Farhat is the notable mover among batsmen from the Kandy Test. Rising 13 places to 43rd position, the left-hander now has his best-ever haul of rating points.

Kumar Sangakkara remains Sri Lanka's leading batsman in the list in 12th place (up one) while acting captain Mahela Jayawardene drops one spot to 16th position.

Sanath Jayasuriya, whose final Test was ruined by an injury to his right hand is in 33rd place in the batting list, 39th in the bowling table and is in sixth place in the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders, the highest-placed Sri Lankan.

With the ball, Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralidaran remains the top-ranked bowler ahead of Australia's Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, while the injured duo of Shoaib Akhtar (7th) and Chaminda Vaas (8th) both still feature in the top 10.

Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria has risen two places to 14th and his team-mate Abdul Razzaq, who captured 4-20 in Sri Lanka's second innings of 73, has moved up three places to 30th position and is another player with a career-best tally of rating points. Below him is Sri Lanka fast bowler Lasith Malinga in 31st spot.

Australia's Ricky Ponting tops the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen ahead of South Africa's Jacques Kallis. Kallis is the leading Test all-rounder ahead of Andrew Flintoff of England (although Flintoff is the top ODI all-rounder).

Full details of the current LG ICC Test Championship and how future results will impact on the table, as well as the LG ICC Player Rankings can be found here