Pietersen continues rapid rise in LG ICC Player Rankings

England's Kevin Pietersen has continued his rapid rise in the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen, surging into the top ten for the first time.

Pietersen's barnstorming 142 from only 157 balls faced, a key factor in his side's six-wicket win over Sri Lanka at Edgbaston, has lifted him seven places in those rankings to 10th spot.

It was his fourth Test hundred, his third in successive home Tests, and he is now the highest-placed England player in the batting list.

It continues Pietersen's remarkable rise as he only moved into the top 20 less than two weeks ago following the 158 he made against Sri Lanka at Lord's. He is also in the top 10 of the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen, confirming his versatility.

England has three players in the Test batting top 20 with Marcus Trescothick in 11th position - down one place and overtaken by Pietersen - while his opening partner Andrew Strauss lies 15th in a list headed by Australia's Ricky Ponting and Rahul Dravid of India.

For Sri Lanka, twin failures at Edgbaston for Kumar Sangakkara and captain Mahela Jayawardene have seen them slide down the list but both remain in the top 20. Sangakkara is now 13th (down two) while Jayawardene lies 18th (a drop of five spots).

There is some consolation for Sri Lanka further down that batting list as Michael Vandort, whose patient 105 was his second Test hundred in only his fifth match, has broken into the top 100, rising 47 places to 78th position.

Sri Lanka can also take heart from yet another brilliant performance from its champion spinner Muttiah Muralidaran, whose 10-115 was his 15th ten-wicket haul in Tests, comfortably a record.

That performance has helped him extend his lead at the top of the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers, ahead of South Africa's Makhaya Ntini.

Muralidaran is one of two Sri Lankans in the top 10 with left-arm seam and swing bowler Chaminda Vaas holding on in tenth slot, although he has slipped one place after collecting only one wicket at Edgbaston.

England's Matthew Hoggard and Andrew Flintoff remain in fifth and sixth spots respectively with Hoggard again reaching a career-high haul of rating points. He is now within striking distance of Australia duo Shane Warne in third and fourth-placed Glenn McGrath.

Further down the list but still within the top 20 is England's Stephen Harmison, in 16th position and out of the side since suffering a leg injury in India earlier this year but now, reportedly, close to a return to international action.

The absence of Harmison together with fellow injury victims Simon Jones (26th), Ashley Giles (33rd) and James Anderson (46th) has given a chance for less experienced bowlers to play and several of them are on the rise in the LG ICC Player Rankings.

Liam Plunkett, whose six wickets at Edgbaston played such a key role in his side's success, has broken into the top 100 for the first time and is up 43 places to 69th in the list.

Below him, left-arm spinner Monty Panesar is up 15 places to 73rd, while Sajid Mahmood has climbed six places to 77th spot. All three players have career-best hauls of rating points.

It was a quiet match for Flintoff and that has seen him slip back into second spot in the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders, behind South Africa's Jacques Kallis.

There are, however, only four rating points between the two players and if Flintoff shows decent form in the third Test at Trent Bridge that starts on Friday 2 June then there is every chance he can regain top spot once more.

England is now 1-0 up in the three-match series (the first Test, at Lord's, was drawn) with just one game to go.

Any series win will improve England's rating in the LG ICC Test Championship table and see it close the gap on top side Australia while Sri Lanka can improve its rating points tally with a victory at Trent Bridge to secure a drawn series.

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