Joe Root Reclaims ICC Men's Test Batting Top Spot After England's Victory
Joe Root's Stellar Performance
Joe Root has regained the number one position in the ICC Men's Test Batting Rankings following his impressive contributions that led England to a narrow 22-run win over India at Lord's, according to the ICC's official site.
With a total of 888 rating points, Root surpassed fellow English player Harry Brook, who has 862 points, thanks to his innings of 104 and 40 runs, allowing England to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
This marks Root's eighth time at the top, making him the oldest player to hold this position since Kumar Sangakkara, who was 37 when he last held it in December 2014.
Steve Smith Climbs to Fourth Place
Australian cricketer Steve Smith has moved up one spot to fourth in the rankings, following a solid performance in a low-scoring match against the West Indies in Jamaica.
Smith scored 48 runs in the match, while his teammate Cameron Green made a significant leap of 16 places to 29th with scores of 46 and 42. The bowlers excelled under the pink ball conditions, with Scott Boland achieving a six-wicket haul, including a hat-trick, propelling him to a career-high sixth position.
Boland's impressive tally of 62 Test wickets has come at an average of just 16.53, placing him among the best in history, alongside legends George Lohmann and Sydney Barnes.
Mitchell Starc Maintains Tenth Position
Despite his remarkable performance against the West Indies, Mitchell Starc remains in tenth place in the rankings. However, he has closed the gap on the bowlers above him, now sitting at 766 rating points, just one point behind Marco Jansen in ninth.
Australia boasts five bowlers in the top ten, with Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood retaining their third and fourth positions, respectively, after their dominant display against the West Indies. Nathan Lyon has dropped to eighth place, making room for Boland in the lineup, marking a rare dominance for Australia in the rankings not seen since 1958.
West Indies Bowlers Shine
West Indies bowlers also had a successful outing at Sabina Park, with Shamar Joseph rising 15 spots to 14th, Justin Greaves climbing 15 spots to 65th, and Alzarri Joseph moving up two spots to 29th.
Washington Sundar's Ranking Improvement
In the match at Lord's, Washington Sundar made a notable advancement, moving up 12 places to 46th in the rankings.
The latest T20I Player Rankings also saw significant changes, with players from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh making impressive gains. Nuwan Thushara from Sri Lanka and Rishad Hossain from Bangladesh now occupy the 16th and 17th spots, respectively, following jumps of nine and twelve places. Binura Fernando has entered the top 50 for the first time with a remarkable 22-spot increase.
Dasun Shanaka has moved up eight places to 22nd among T20I All-Rounders, while Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza has climbed two spots to sixth after scoring a quick 54 not out against South Africa.