Steyn deposes injured Muralitharan as top test bowler

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - South African fast bowler Dale Steyn has ended injured Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan's long reign as the top-ranked test bowler.

The 37-year-old Muralitharan, who holds the world record with 770 test wickets, had been atop the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings since February 2006 but a knee injury forced him out of the current home series against Pakistan.

Steyn, 26, who has emerged as South Africa's pace spearhead in the last two years, was briefly joint top of the rankings in April last year, an ICC release said.

Indian opener Gautam Gambhir, a prolific run-getter last year, has taken over as number one batsman after Pakistan mainstay Mohammad Yousuf's stint ended after just one week.

Yousuf hit a century in the first test defeat in Galle but has slipped to fifth after he failed to make any impact in the second test in Colombo, which ended in defeat on Tuesday.