Ponting slumps after Adelaide failures

The Adelaide Test was a forgettable match for Ricky Ponting © Getty Images Enlarge

Ricky Ponting has fallen out of the world's top 20 batsmen for the first time since 2001 following his double failure in Adelaide as Australia were crushed by an innings-and-71 runs in the second Ashes Test. The man who removed him for a first-innings golden duck, James Anderson, has risen to a career-best No. 3 in the bowling rankings while Graeme Swann has closed the gap on Dale Steyn at No. 1.

Ponting didn't survive the opening over in Adelaide, when he was caught at slip first ball, and could only manage 9 in the second innings before he was removed by Swann. It meant he had only 70 runs in four innings for the series, 51 of those in the second innings in Brisbane as the match was drawn.

Anderson overtook Zaheer Khan to secure third spot following his match figures of 6 for 143. He began the match in stunning style by removing Ponting and Michael Clarke as Australia slumped to 3 for 2 and then, on the final morning, found himself on a hat-trick after claiming Brad Haddin and Ryan Harris.

Swann, meanwhile, bounced back from a disappointing performance in Brisbane by playing a key role in England's innings-and-71-run victory. He took two important wickets in the first innings, but came into his own second time around as he bagged five on a wearing pitch.

He is now just 14 points behind Steyn at the top of the table and, if he performs well in Perth and Melbourne, has a chance to finish the year as the leading bowler in the world. However, Steyn will be looking to consolidate his position when he leads South Africa's attack against India in the Test series that starts on December 16

After conceding 620 runs it's not surprising that Australia's bowlers slipped, with Doug Bollinger sliding four places to No. 13 and Peter Siddle, who hasn't claimed a wicket since his Brisbane hat-trick, slipping three to No. 17.

England also made significant gains on the batting front, with Jonathan Trott continuing his rise after securing a career-best position last week and moving further up to sixth place, while Alastair Cook's mighty form has seen him climb to No. 13 and he now has the most points of his career. Kevin Pietersen is also marching back up the ladder after ending his lean run with a career-best 227.

The one bright spot for Australia has been Mike Hussey's form and he gained ten places following his match double of 93 and 52 in Adelaide. Michael Clarke's second-innings 80 has prevented him from slipping down the list.