Anderson returns to top of Test bowling rankings at 40

James Anderson is the fifth-oldest bowler to be ranked Test world number one

England's leading wicket-taker James Anderson has been crowned the number one Test bowler in the world, ending Australian Pat Cummins' four-year reign at the top of the rankings.

At 40 years and 207 days, he is the oldest bowler to hold top spot since Australia's Clarrie Grimmett in 1936.

It is the sixth time he has risen to the top ranking, most recently in 2018.

His lead at the top is slender, with just two rating points separating him and India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who is on 864 points. Australia captain Cummins drops to third on 858.

Anderson now has 682 Test wickets, putting him third on the all-time list behind Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and late Australian great Shane Warne (708).

During the first Test in Mount Maunganui, he and Stuart Broad became the most successful bowling partnership in the history of the game, passing Warne and Glenn McGrath's previous record of 1,001 wickets.

The second Test starts in Wellington on Friday.

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