LONDON (Reuters)
It will come as no surprise toEngland's battered Ashes team. Australia's wicketkeeping all-rounder Adam Gilchrist is the best No. 7 batsman of all time, a ratings report has said.

The latest PricewaterhouseCoopers ratings puts Gilchrist at number four in the batting table with only India's Sachin Tendulkar, Australia captain Steve Waugh and Zimbabwe's Andy Flower above him.

Gilchrist, who earlier this week took over the helm of the touring team from the injured Waugh, has marshalled the Australian tail during the current Ashes series and been a perennial thorn in the side of the England bowlers.

In the first Test at Edgbaston, the 29-year-old hit a belligerent 152 off 143 balls and showed intelligent improvisation which was as much a part of his game as his solid core strokes. Lord's did nothing to dint his batting confidence - he clocked up 90 runs. And after a drubbing at Trent Bridge, the only consolation England could draw was that they had forced Gilchrist's average under 100 for the first time in the series. He made only 54 runs, reducing his average to 98.66.

Gilchrist will add the title of 'best No. 7 batsman' to his fielding honours - he shares the world record of six dismissals in a one-day international.

PricewaterhouseCoopers Ratings

Batsmen
Player                 Team   Pts
 1. Sachin Tendulkar   Ind    893
 2. Steve Waugh        Aus    850
 3. Andy Flower        Zim    830
 4. Adam Gilchrist     Aus    813
 5. Rahul Dravid       Ind    807
 6. Inzamam-ul-Haq     Pak    803
 7. Brian Lara         WI     769
 8. Mahela Jayawardene SL     749
 9. Daryll Cullinan    SA     746
10. Mark Waugh         Aus    709

Bowlers
 Player                Team   Pts
 1. Glenn McGrath      Aus    913
 2. Shaun Pollock      SA     896
 3. Allan Donald       SA     817
 4. Muttiah MuralitharnSL     773
 5. Jason Gillespie    Aus    766
 6. Darren Gough       Eng    736
 7. Harbhajan Singh    Ind    733
 8. Heath Streak       Zim    693
 9. Shane Warne        Aus    690
10. Saqlain Mushtaq    Pak    685

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd