Dubai: South African fast bowler Vernon Philander has achieved a career-best second position on the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers after inspiring his side to a 51 run victory over England in the third Test at Lord's, which gave the Proteas a 2-0 series win, and, with it, the number-one position on the Reliance ICC Test Championship table.

The 27-year-old, who has been shortlisted for LG People's Choice Award 2012, returned figures of two for 48 and five for 30. This performance has helped him leapfrog Pakistan's off-spinner Saeed Ajmal into second spot and has put him just 29 ratings points behind team-mate Dale Steyn.

England's Steven Finn is the other bowler to be rewarded with a jump. The 23-year-old fast bowler recorded figures of eight for 149 which have helped him break into the top 20 for the first time in his career.

Finn is now in 16th position (up by 10 places) and is the fourth England bowler after James Anderson (fifth), Stuart Broad (eighth), Graeme Swann (13th) and Tim Bresnan (20th) to find a place inside the top 20 bowlers.

In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen, South Africa's Hashim Amla, who was adjudged player of the series for his aggregate of 482 runs (average 120.5), has reclaimed his number-two position, which he last held in February 2010.

Amla now trails number-one ranked Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka by 23 ratings points.

J P Duminy of South Africa and England's Jonny Bairstow are the other batsmen to head in the right direction.

Duminy, who scored 61 and 26 not out, has moved up seven places to 53rd position while Bairstow's masterly knocks of 95 and 54 have helped him vault 101 places to 69th spot.