Australia’s batting might in the drawn Ashes opener was mirrored in the latest ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen with opener Simon Katich, middle-order batsmen Marcus North and stumper Brad Haddin achieving career-best slots.

Katich, who scored 122, has gone up by four places and now sits in 14th position alongside India great Sachin Tendulkar. North, who struck an unbeaten 125, has rocketed 23 places to 43rd position while Haddin, who scored 121, has climbed six places to 30th spot.

Besides the trio, captain Ricky Ponting has also inched towards the top five after scoring an elegant 150 and is now in sixth place after swapping positions with Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardena.

Vice-captain Michael Clarke has replaced South Africa captain Graeme Smith in eighth place and opener Phillip Hughes has lifted himself two places to 33rd position.

Australia’s only disappointment is the fall of Mike Hussey whose first innings contribution of three has resulted in him dropping out of the top 20 for the first time since his rapid rise up the table at the start of his international career.

England’s only batsman to make an upward movement is Paul Collingwood who has returned to the top 20 by climbing five places to 19th position after scoring two half-centuries in the match, including a gritty 74 in the second innings that spanned almost six hours of batting.

Three of the top four England batsmen – Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara – have dropped in the latest rankings while Kevin Pietersen has managed to hang on to his 10th place.

Uncapped Marcus North made a claim for selection in Australia’s Test team with a solid all-round performance in the drawn match against a South African Board President’s XI at Senwes Park Sunday.

North took a career-best six for 69 with his off-spin and made two unbeaten half-centuries as the Australians came close to achieving a come-from-behind victory.

The Australians, who were smashed for 403 runs while taking only seven wickets in the first innings, declared their own first innings at the overnight total of 360 for four before bowling out the home side for 182 in the second innings.

The tourists reached 171 for two before the match was called off, opting for batting practice instead of pushing to reach a target of 226. Phil Hughes and North both made half-centuries in an opening stand of 105 before retiring.

With leg-spinner Bryce McGain failing to impress in the first innings and not taking the field in the second because of a stomach illness, North made a claim for the number six batting position ahead of all-rounder Andrew McDonald.

This would enable Australia to pick four specialist fast bowlers for the first Test, starting in Johannesburg Thursday, with North providing a spin option.

“It was an opportunity for me to do well and I think I’ve achieved that,” said North.

“There’s no certainty (of selection) but my performance won’t do me any harm.”

North said he was pleased to have made a contribution on his first tour with an Australian side but he realised there were no guarantees of being picked.

“All 14 players will be putting their hand up for selection,” he said.

North, 29, who has played for four English counties in addition to his state side Western Australia, had taken only 90 wickets in 125 first-class matches before the Potchefstroom game.

This was his first five-wicket haul. He conceded more than six runs an over but spin seldom plays a major role at Johannesburg’s Wanderers Stadium.

With a willingness to pitch the ball up in an effort to take wickets, North gives the tourists a choice between strengthening the batting and providing a few overs of spin bowling or going for a specialist leg-spinner in McGain who will be an unknown quantity for the South Africans.

North followed up his first innings 52 not out with an unbeaten 50 off 83 balls. The left-handed Hughes, who is regarded as a certainty to make his Test debut Thursday, hit 53 off 79 deliveries before he retired.